


Fix My Heart

by LilliannaAnsalla



Series: Marvel Fics [2]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Merlin (TV), Supernatural, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bucky Barnes Recovering, Crossover, Dean Winchester Works at a Garage, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff and Humor, It was fun to do, Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes, everyone's name is different, it's literally always in a garage, they all do
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-14
Updated: 2019-05-14
Packaged: 2020-03-05 09:06:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 34,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18825547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LilliannaAnsalla/pseuds/LilliannaAnsalla
Summary: After the events of D.C., the Winter Soldier flees from the remnants of Hydra and his shady past and stumbles upon a garage in a tiny town in the middle of Nowhere, USA. The owner takes him in and gives him a new outlook and a chance at a normal life working in the garage with the rather colorful group of employees.





	1. Chapter 1

“Matt! Mattie! Hey, Matt!”

“What do you want, Dan?”

“I’m leaving in a few. You want me to lock up?”

“Yeah, go ahead! See you in the mornin’, Dan! Bright and early!”

“I’ll be here with bells on!” Mattie laughed as Dan left, waving over his shoulder as he flipped the lights out.

“Leave the bells at home, Dan. You know how they bother Sal.”

“Yeah, yeah. Get goin’, kid.”

“I  _live_  here, Dan. And you’re only a year older than me, jerk!”

“Night, Matt.” Dan swung the door shut, and the lock clicked through the darkened shop. The only light was coming from the giant windows in the pull-down door. Mattie checked over everything before climbing upstairs, changing into pajamas, and flopping face down on the bed, asleep within minutes.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------

An almighty crash woke Mattie up, jumping a foot off the bed. The deathly silence that followed was suspicious in and of itself. Grabbing the baseball bat by the bed, Mattie left the bedroom and went downstairs silently. After walking downstairs, Mattie flipped on the light. A man was bleeding on the shop floor. “Hey!” The man looked up at her with eyes of a doe caught in the headlights. “Are you alright?” The man grunted. “That’s doesn’t answer my question.”

“Fine,” the man barked out.

“Yeah, and I’m the queen of England. Let me get a look at ya.” He flinched backwards. “Look, you wanna bleed out on my floor? I expect to get somethin’ in return. Let me see.” The hand came away from the man’s side. “Crud. Coyote got ya good, didn’t he? C’mon. Can you make it upstairs? I can take care of ya there. If the guys come in tomorrow and see all this blood on the floor, they’re gonna freak.” The man grunted again. “We’ve been through this. Grunting isn’t an answer.”

“I can make it.”

“Good. C’mon. Up you go.” Mattie lifted the man to his feet with a grunt, pulling his arm over both shoulders. Supporting the man mostly, Mattie led him up to the bathroom. “Shirt off.” He didn’t move. “Do it yourself, or I’m cutting it off. Your pick.” Slowly, carefully, the shirt was pulled off. “Put it in the sink for now. I’ll wash it later.” It landed with a sick plop. “Pants too. And stand in the bathtub.” No movement. “See if I won’t yank those pants off your legs. See if I don’t. You can leave your briefs on, but the pants are going.” The man obeyed. “Smart choice.” Mattie pulled a cloth out of a basket and turned on the tub faucet. “Now, your choice here, and this is the only one you’re going to get until that bite is taken care of. Shower head, or washcloth? Verbal answer, if ya don’t mind.”

“Shower.”

“You sure? That’s gonna hurt worse than it does now.”

“Yes.”

“Alright, but if you break the sound barrier with your yelling, I’m gonna say I told ya so.” The warm water began to pour out of the overhead, and the hat that was on his head landed on the floor. A small hiss was the only sound that came from the man. Mattie mentally applauded. “Okay. Get all the blood off, then the real fun begins.” Mattie dug around under the sink for a moment before coming back with two towels and a bottle of something. The man stood under the water, eyes closed and head back. “Done?” His head snapped up, and he nodded. “Okay.” The water turned off, and the man started to step out. “No, stay there. This is gonna hurt, but I don’t wanna get this stuff all over my bathroom floor. It’s gonna be a pain to clean up as it is.” Mattie poured the bottle all over one of the towels and looked the man in the eye. “Ready? This is gonna hurt worse than the bite.” A nod. The towel pressed against the bite, and the man groaned. “Told ya.” The next few minutes were spent with tight-lipped groans and tense silence. “Okay. You can get out.” The man obeyed and stepped onto the small rug, dripping and swaying a bit on his feet. “Dry off with this while I get you some other clothes. I’m sure the guys have left something around here you can use. And if ya want, bandages are right there by the sink to bind up that bite. You’re gonna wanna keep that thing clean for a bit so it doesn’t get infected and all that.” With that, Mattie left to find the man some clean clothes.

\----------------------------------------------------------------

The Soldier watched his savior with guarded eyes as she left him to his own devices. Didn’t she know to never turn her back on a stranger? And who arms themselves with a baseball bat against intruders? Even in his injured state, he had managed to find his way inside the garage with little effort. The doors were probably the same ones that came with the building. The locks were ancient. She was  _asking_  to be robbed. He came back to himself when he realized she was going to be back any minute, and he was still standing like a lunatic, dripping all over her floor. He could at least bandage his wounds. He’d been pretty much  _useless_  for most of the night. He could do this. By the time she came back, he was taping up the last of the bandage on his torso. “Oh, good, you  _do_  know how to do something. Found some clothes. I’m sure somethin’ in there’ll fit ya. I’ll be in the kitchen when you’re done. Just leave the clothes. I’ll wash them in the mornin’.” She turned and left, and the sound of clanging in the kitchen could be heard even from where he was. Then again, she did leave the door open. As the Soldier changed, he ran through what he had observed from her. She was smaller than him, but only by two or three inches. [She](https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4076/4824007037_4881e34d5d_b.jpg) had dirty blonde hair and carried a bat for protection. She had a very laid-back manner of speaking and had no qualms about his metal arm, which had been uncovered for the better part of twenty minutes now. She also apparently worked with the cars that were in the garage below them, because she still had faint smudges of oil and grease on her face. As for threat level, she was minimal at first glance. Still, he shouldn’t stay longer than necessary.

\----------------------------------------------------------------

Mattie yawned as she rummaged around in the kitchen. This guy was almost as thin as she was, and she figured he’d be hungry. She wasn’t, personally, but she could do with a midnight snack. She pulled out bread, ham, cheese, and all the fixings and laid them out on the counter in front of her. When her guest walked in, left hand shoved deep into his pockets, she smiled at him. “’Bout time ya got here,” she teased. He tensed, and she realized that she should probably dial back on the sarcasm for the moment. “Sorry. Sometimes my mouth runs away from me. You hungry? I have to make a run to the store, but we’ve got a nice spread here.” She gestured grandly. “Take your pick. I’m gonna eat a pickle, myself.” She fished out a pickle spear and chewed away at it while he made himself a small sandwich and nibbled. She yawned again shortly after finishing her snack and pushed away from where she leaned on the counter. “Be right back.” She went into her room and grabbed two blankets and a pillow from her closet, coming back to find her guest still in the kitchen, staring blankly at the floor. “Here ya go,” she said, holding out her armful of stuff for him. “You can sleep on the couch for tonight. The boys’ll be here tomorrow mornin’ around 7:30, so ya should have plenty of time to sleep. If ya need anything, just holler. I’m right down the hall. Night.” She was halfway down the hall before she heard his quiet answer.

“Goodnight.”

\---------------------------------------------------------------

Mattie jerked awake again for the second time that night. She sat straight up and reached for her baseball bat before remembering that it was downstairs in the workshop. “Of all the stupid, idiotic things,” she muttered, kicking off her blankets and standing up. She could fight with fists. She jumped a foot in the air as a horrendous scream filled the air. She opened the door and ran down the hallway, finding her guest thrashing on the couch in serious danger of falling off. First thought, oddly enough, was to push her ottoman against the edge so he wouldn’t fall off the couch and hit his head. Second was to turn on a low light. Third (and she was sure she was going to regret this) was to yell really loudly. “Wake up!” He sat up ramrod straight, hissing and gasping at the same time, so he made a choked-off sound. “Hey,” she said, slightly quieter. His eyes snapped to her, and she was met with cold steel-blue eyes. “You okay? You had a nightmare.” He didn’t answer. “Hey, you gonna answer me? Do I need to get ya anything?”

“No.” She nodded and sat down on the edge of the couch by his feet.

“Wanna talk about it?”

“No.” This answer was growled.

“Don’t take that tone with me, mister. My house, my rules. Show respect for the person that saved your nasty end of bleedin’ out on my floor!” He looked down at the floor, his hair falling like a curtain over his face. She sighed and looked at the clock on the wall. “Might as well get ready for the day. Alarm’s gonna go off soon.” She stood up and looked over at him. “You can sleep more, if ya want. I’m gonna go hop in the shower and such. Breakfast in an hour.” With that, she disappeared down the hallway again.


	2. Chapter 2

The Soldier hadn’t meant to fall asleep. He’d watched the girl walk off towards what he assumed was her bedroom. The next thing he knew, he was blinking awake to the sun shining in his eyes from the gap between the curtains. He sat up, his joints popping from sleeping on the couch as he did so. Standing up and observing his immediate surroundings, the Soldier saw a bright slip of paper on the counter atop stacked plates. One was upside-down on top of the other. He walked over to it and picked it up.

_Eat me_  it said in messy handwriting. He took off the top plate and found still-warm biscuits, bacon, and a small serving of grapes. His stomach rolled at much thought of food, but he nibbled a biscuit and popped a few grapes in his mouth. He noticed another note on the fridge in the same messy handwriting.

_Open_. He did. Inside, there was a glass of milk.

_Drink me_. He obeyed. He saw a plate, fork, and glass in the sink, so he left his dishes there after throwing out the leftover food. Turning around, there was yet another slip of paper tacked to the column next to the kitchen counter. This one was significantly longer.

_Didn’t want to wake you. I’m sure you found the food and such. Clean bandages in the bathroom. Change out the old ones at 9:30. Stay up here for now. Don’t know how the boys’ll react to me housing a stranger. Give me time to ease ‘em into it, if you even stay that long. I’ll be up at 1:30 for my lunch break. Stay outta trouble until then._

The Soldier glanced at the digital clock on the stove. 8:00. Hour and a half until he was told to change the bandages. Left with no further orders and not sure if he was allowed to sit down on her chairs, he stood in the middle of the kitchen, watching the minutes tick by. When the numbers shone 9:30, he marched to the bathroom and cleaned and rebadged his bite wound. Then, he went back to stand in the kitchen. At 1:32, he heard footsteps on the old stairs. The girl appeared in the doorway, oil smudged across her forehead and all over her hands.

“Afternoon,” she greeted, a bright smile on her lips though her brows pinched in a slight moment of confusion to find him standing in her kitchen, staring at the clock. The Soldier didn’t mention it. “Hungry?” He assessed himself. He also remembered her want of verbal answers.

“No.”

“Alright. Well, I’m gonna eat. Didja find all my little notes? Didn’t want to wake you up, especially after your rough night. Decided to leave hints instead.”

“Yes.”

“Good.” She pulled out all the fixing for a sandwich. “Sure you don’t want anything, now? I don’t mind fixing you a sandwich. Lord knows this bread’s gotta be eaten soon before it goes bad.”

“No.”

“Alright. Suit yourself. If ya get hungry later, you saw where everything is. Help yourself.” He watched her quickly make a ham and cheese sandwich and fish out a pickle spear from her giant jar. His host didn’t speak at all during this time. It gave him more time to assess her. She was indeed smaller than him, but the muscles that showed as she picked things up and put them down told him that she was by no means weak. She probably actually could do some damage with that bat of hers. She seemed to be sincere enough, but he had seen enough to know that he couldn’t trust anyone. “So, what’ve you been up to?” she asked, speaking around a mouth full of pickle.

“I followed your instructions.”

“Well, that’s good. Is your bite any better?”

“Yes. I heal fast.”

“Oh, really? I’ll have to see that later, then. When I have more time. I have to be back down at 2:15. Mikey’s bringing in his kid’s car to get looked at, and I’m helping him out with it. Anything else?”

“No.” She choked on her sandwich.

“Nothing?”

“No.” She stared at him as if he had grown an extra head.

“Why in blue blazes wouldn’t ya—don’t tell me you did nothin’ else but stand and watch the clock for three hours!”

“I did.”

“Why?”

“You did not tell me I could.” She muttered under her breath as she cleaned up and swallowed the last of her meal. The clock read 1:55.

“When I get back, you and I are having a long discussion about this,” she said, stepping back towards her bedroom. The Soldier watched her go, dread filling his gut. Was she going to report to Hydra? He hadn’t thought of that possibility. Maybe this was all just a test. Would they catch him? The room blurred before him, and he gripped onto the counter to steady himself. They’d take him back. They’d wipe him again. He—he couldn’t let that happen. So many questions needed answering. They couldn’t have him. He heard a voice, but it sounded very, very far away.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mattie walked back into her kitchen, wiping her slightly-damp hands on her shirt. Her guest was a strange one that was for sure. She needed to make sure that he understood he had free reign of her home. As long as he didn’t go through her underwear drawer, he was fine. They’d talk about this later. She walked into the main room and gasped as she found him on the floor, clutching his head and rocking back and forth. He was whispering something, but she couldn’t hear him from where she was. As she got closer, slowly and carefully, she could make it out. “No, no, please. Don’t. I’m sorry. No, please.” The words tumbled out of his mouth, and his gaze was blank, looking somewhere far away from here. Some of the older men down in the shop had been like this, way back when she was much younger. They’d served in the war, and when they came back, they were haunted by what they’d seen and done. PTSD, her dad had told her. She was to be calm and careful around them. They’d lash out and hurt her, possibly, even if they didn’t mean to or want to. It appears that her guest was no different. However, he was way too young to have been in a war. He was barely older than she was! Pushing aside all the questions that his behavior brought up, she knelt down on the floor, about two feet away from him. Respectable distance. Enough to be there and not a threat. “Hey,” she said gently. “It’s okay. You’re safe now.” He didn’t seem to hear her. “No one’s gonna hurt you. It’s alright.” Ever-so-slowly, so as not to startle him, she pressed a hand on his knee. A risky move, but he was deep in whatever he was seeing. “Why don’t ya come on back now, huh? It’s safer out here, right? You can be warm and fed and sleep. Isn’t that nice? C’mon on, buddy. Atta boy.” His eyes were beginning to focus as she kept up her soft rambling. “Yeah, it’s nice out here, isn’t it? All nice and cozy? You’re alright. No one’s gonna hurt ya. Easy now.” His eyes locked with hers, and she gave him a gentle smile. “Hello there,” she said. “You back now?” He gave her a wary glance. “Gave me quite a scare,” she continued. “Feel like movin’ to the couch? I can’t imagine that the tile floor is comfortable.” She held out a hand to him slowly. He let her take his elbow and help him to his feet. She escorted him to the couch and sat him down, wrapping his blanket around his shoulders. “I’ll be right back, okay?” She puttered around in the kitchen, making some hot chocolate for him to sip while she was gone. The clock said 2:20. She’d have to get downstairs soon before someone came looking for her. “Here ya go,” she said, handing him the warm mug and making sure he’d sipped a little of it. “You drink that, then try to get some rest, alright? I’ll be back to check on you soon.” He watched her for a moment before nodding. “Okay. If ya need anything, feel free to search the house for it. I don’t mind.” She gave him a smile again before leaving to go back to work, though she couldn’t shake off the worry that nagged at the back of her mind. She went back downstairs and met Artie at the door.

“There you are!” the blonde said, his blue eyes twinkling with mirth. “Thought the boogie man had gotten you.”

“Wouldn’t that just have made your day,” Mattie retorted.

“You know it.” He winked at her.

“Matt! There you are! Get over here! Mikey’s kid’s here with the car!”

“Coming, Dan! Don’t get your blood pressure up!” She walked over to where Mikey and his son were standing and Dan was bent over the engine. “Okay, what’ve we got, Dan?”

“Was waitin’ for you, boss lady.”

“You’re learning!” Mattie said, slapping him on the back.

“Don’t make me fight you, brat.”

“I’d win and you know it, jerk.”

“Would you two cut it out? Some of us are trying to work here!”

“Shut up, Sal!” the two said in unison. There was low grumbling from the office desk where Sal was bent over the office computer, ordering parts and such for the next month. Mattie grinned and shook her head.

“Okay, Adam. Turn ‘er over,” Mattie said as Dan straightened and stood next to her. Both of them looked over the engine as it puttered to life. “Sounds like the timing’s off.”

“That’s what I was gonna say.” Dan ran a hand through his short, light brown hair.

“I think we got a new timing belt somewhere.”

“Sal would know.”

“I know that, Dan. Sal!”

“Yeah?”

“Got a timing belt back there in that mess you call a storage room?”

“Organized chaos, Matt! And yeah, I do. You need it?”

“Yep!”

“Got it.”

“No, don’t stand up!” Mattie shouting over the sound of an air pressurizer turning on. “I’ll send Adam to get it.”

“I’m already up, Mattie. It’s fine. I was at a stopping spot anyway.” The man was already up and through the door.

“You good here, Dan?”

“Yeah. Go on and help Artie. I think he was doing something with that old Porsche that lady brought it.”

“Okay. Holler if ya need anything.”

“You betcha.” And so the day went on. Artie closed up the shop later that night, and Mattie made sure everything was in place for the day tomorrow before going upstairs. She plodded up the stairs and found her guest sitting on the couch, looking at her.

“Hey,” she greeted, waving tiredly. “Did the noise downstairs wake you up?”

“No.”

“Good. You look like death warmed over. Didja get any sleep at all?” He was quiet. “Nightmares again?” He nodded. “That’s rough. I’ve got something that may help with that, if you want?” He nodded again and started to stand up. “No, no. Stay there. I’ll bring it to you.” She came back with some tea. “Artie’s brother Colin is an essential oils and herb nut. Always has these concoctions that help with this and that. This supposedly helps keep bad dreams away. I’ve never really had a problem with that, but Artie’s dad says it works wonders. Maybe it’ll help.” She handed it to him and yawned widely. “I’m gonna go get a shower and fall into bed. You need anything before I go?”

“No.”

“Okay. You know where I am if you need me. Goodnight.”

“Night.” She was halfway down the hall before he answered, but she didn’t mind. She stopped and turned around, poking her head back into the room.

“By the way, tomorrow’s my day off, so it’ll just be you and me. The guys won’t bother us unless it’s an emergency, and they’ve got a pager if it’s that bad. We’ll talk then, okay?” He nodded. “Okay. Night again. See ya in the mornin’.”


	3. Chapter 3

Mattie blinked open her eyes and stretched. The sun was shining through the curtains, signaling the start of another day. Squinting over at her alarm clock, she saw that it was 9:15. Hm. She hadn’t slept that late in a while. She sat up and stretched again, kicking her feet over the edge of the bed. She could hear the faint sounds of machinery and talking below her, so she knew that the work day was busy. She had faith in her employees, though. She’d grown up with most of them, and some of their parents had watched her grow up with their children. It was very much a family business. Mattie remembered her guest and left her room, padding down the hallway to find him sitting rigid on her couch, watching the blank TV screen. She shook her head and smiled. She’d have to show him how to work it and make sure he knew that he could do whatever he wanted. She wasn’t going to judge. Slipping back into her bedroom, she grabbed her laptop, intent on doing some heavy Netflixing today. Or maybe making a grocery list. Probably the latter. She was low on food. She came back into the main room of the house and set the computer down on the coffee table. “Mornin’,” she said to her guest. “Sleep well?” He nodded. “What did we say about verbal answers?” she asked, putting her hands on her hips with a smirk.

“Yes, I did. You?”

“Yep. Odd dream, though. Purple monkey gorging himself on pumpkins. Probably need to lay off the pickles before bed. You hungry?”

“No.” She raised an eyebrow at him.

“You barely ate anythin’ yesterday. How are you not hungry?” He shrugged. “Well, you have to eat somethin’. Don’t care what, but not eating isn’t healthy, and you’re skinny enough as it is. C’mon. To the kitchen with ya. Get!” She shooed him in and opened her fridge. “Oh yeah, I’m goin’ to the store today. Runnin’ low on literally everything. You allergic to apples?”

“I don’t think so,” he said after a moment. She furrowed her brows but didn’t comment. Maybe he was still shaken up from his episode last night.

“Well, here’s hopin’. I got an Epi Pen in the bathroom if we need it. Adam’s allergic to peanuts, and we had an incident once, so I always keep one on hand.” She washed off a green apple for herself and a red apple for him. “Here ya go. And may you survive another day,” she said with a grin. The two ate in silence, and Mattie looked her guest over. His eyes were still sunken in, and he was skinnier than he should be. The clothes that she had borrowed from the guys’ lockers were swallowing him whole, at least three sizes too big. “Well, we’ll probably need to get ya some new clothes. Sal is definitely bigger than you, and that’s his shirt. You look like a bedraggled puppy. Colin’s pants seem to fit ya pretty good, though. You wanna come with me to get clothes? If not, you’re gonna be stuck with whatever I see fit, and you may not like it.” His eyes widened a bit. “Okay, maybe later,” Mattie answered. “When you’re done, we need to look at that bite. I wanna see how fast of a healer you really are.” After the two were done, she took the core from him and threw them away. “Let’s go, bub. Shoo.” She herded him towards the bathroom. “Okay, shirt off,” she said. The man obeyed. The bandage was still clean, if a little rumpled. She took it off, unwinding it from around his waist and looking at the wound. “Woah,” she said, her eyes widening. There was a faint mark, but that was all. “You do heal fast. Well, that’s good. At least now we don’t have to worry about infections or anythin’ like that.” She looked him over and noticed that one shoulder was higher than the other. “Hey, what’s up with your shoulder?” she asked. He instantly froze up and looked down at his metal left arm. “No, not that one. Your other one. It’s higher than the other.” He looked in the mirror at his shoulders.

“Oh.” Mattie sighed.

“I think it’s dislocated. I’m shocked ya haven’t mentioned it. Here, sit on the tub.” He obeyed, facing her. “No, no. Other way.” He turned around. She gently pressed against the joint. “Sal dislocated his shoulder once. I had to put it back. He wore a sling for a couple of months, but I think you’ll be okay. Especially if you’re such a fast healer.” She braced a hand on his shoulder blade and atop his shoulder. “Just so ya know, you’re probably going to have to meet the guys sometime soon. They come up here all the time, and they’re all extremely over-protective.”

“Why?”

“Well ya see, this business was my grandpa’s.” She pulled the shoulder back with a crack. He jerked, and his metal fist clenched so hard the metal squealed. “Sorry. I didn’t want ya to tense up.” He nodded, his jaw working tightly. “Anyway, my grandpa started the mechanic shop downstairs, and he and his friends worked here. When they all had sons, they worked here, and their sons after that. I was the odd one out. Only girl in a group of boys. When my dad died, I got the business. All of the boys down there are like brothers. If you’re gonna stay here, you’re gonna need their approval. But I wouldn’t worry too much. They’re all big softies at heart. If you aren’t hurting me, then they won’t mind. Dan and Sal took in a homeless guy about a year back, and the three of them are best friends now, so I’m sure you’ll have them on your side. But for now, I wouldn’t worry about it.” The now-unneeded bandage was thrown away, and he pulled his shirt back on over his head. Mattie went back into the living room and plopped down on one corner of the sofa, within reach of the remotes. Her guest stood awkwardly in the doorway. “C’mon! Sit! Sit! I have some stuff I have to do, so I’m gonna show you how to work the T.V. More preferably, the wondrous world of Netflix.” She spent the next twenty minutes showing him how it worked. Once he’d gotten the hang of it and could do it on his own, she let him pick a movie (of all things he picked America’s Funniest Home Videos. She didn’t comment on it) to watch while she started making a grocery list, putting her laptop on the counter and typing in anything she needed. She would glance over at her guest every so often to check on him, and he was usually sitting ram-rod straight on the couch, watching the screen. Once in a while, she’d see a faint grin on his face, but that was about it. She made sure to continue making noises so he would know that he wasn’t alone. Finally, she was done with her list and went back to her spot on the couch, laptop in hand. She sent the file to print on her printer down in the office and shut down her computer. “Hey,” she said, and he jerked his head over to face her. “I’m gonna go the store, alright? I’m gonna get some food and some clothes for you. Anything you don’t like, I’ll return tomorrow. There’s apples in the fridge. Wash ‘em off before you eat ‘em. The guys are downstairs working, and since I’m not going to be up here, they won’t come up. Sleep, take a shower, watch Netflix—I don’t particularly care what ya do while I’m gone, just don’t burn the place down, okay? If ya need anything, you can call me. My phone number is next to the phone on the wall in the kitchen. Don’t hesitate to call me if ya want, even if ya just get lonely. I’m gonna go get dressed, then I’m leaving.” He nodded and watched her go. She got dressed and grabbed her wallet and phone, putting both in her pocket. Her keys jangled in her hand as she walked back down the hallway. She slipped on her shoes at the door leading downstairs and looked at her guest over her shoulder. “I’m leaving now. See you in a couple of hours.” He nodded to her again, and she closed the door behind her as she walked down the stairs. She was greeted with the hot, humid air inside the garage. “Mornin’, boys!” she called over the sounds of work.

“Mornin’, Matt!” they answered. She found Sal over in the office corner.

“Hey, Sal,” she said, leaning next to him and looking on his computer screen.

“Hey, Matt. What’s up?”

“Runnin’ into town for errands and such. I printed a list too.” Sal handed it to her. “I need to get anything for you guys while I’m out?”

“Another case of water wouldn’t hurt.”

“Got it.”

“Oil!” Artie called from across the garage.

“That’s Sal’s department, Artie!” Mattie called back.

“Oh.” She laughed and shook her head.

“Is that on your list of things to order, Sally?”

“Don’t call me that, and yes.” Mattie laughed again and ruffled his hair.

“Ya know I love ya. And messin’ with ya.”

“You and Dan.”

“Favorite pastime!” Dan called.

“Does everyone in this garage eavesdrop, or is it just the annoying ones?” Mattie called.

“Just them!” Ben answered from where he was working under a car.

“Thank you, Ben! I can always count on you!”

“You know it!”

“I get no love in this place,” Dan whined, winking over at Sal and Mattie.

“But plenty of it at home!” Mattie retorted. A chorus of “ooh’s” filled the room, and Dan threw a cloth at her. She ducked away from it and doubled over in laughter. Sal was bent over his desk, laughing and shaking his head. All productivity in the garage ceased as all of its occupants laughed at her come-back.

“Dan, she got you so good!” Sal gasped, wiping his eyes slightly.

“Shut up, Sal!”

“I love you, Dan!” Mattie said, smiling at him. “I’m sorry. The chance was there, and I just had to.”

“I know, I know. I set myself up for that one,” Dan said, smiling back at her. “That was good. I’ll give it to ya. That was good.” He winked one of his forest green eyes at her.

“I learned from the best,” Mattie answered, tossing his cloth back to him to clean the engine he was working on. “I’m heading out, guys. Anyone need anything important from the store?”

“Water!” Ben called from under the car, poking his dark head out to make sure she heard.

“Got it!”

“More work cloths!” Dan yelled from under the hood.

“Yep!”

“Food!” Artie shouted.

“Your job, not mine! You’ve got a lunch break!”

“You to return my shirt you stole from my locker,” Sal said, and she whirled around to face him.

“What?”

“Mattie, I know you have it. Just finish washing it soon, will ya? I like that shirt.”

“Oh, yeah. I will. You know I do laundry on Sundays. I’ll have it back to you by Monday.”

“Thanks.”

“No problem. Okay! I’m leaving! Don’t burn the place down while I’m gone!” She turned on the giant fan as she walked past, and instantly five voices called out grateful “thanks you’s.” She walked out the side door to where her car was parked and jumped in, cranking the engine and pulling out to head into town.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mattie pushed her small buggy through the aisles of the store, humming to the music playing quietly over the intercom system. Her phone suddenly started buzzing in her pocket, and she jumped slightly. Pulling it out and checking the ID, she saw her house phone number. She answered it. “Hey,” she said. “What’s up?” She heard him gasping for breath. “Hey, are you okay?” she asked, instantly worried. “Do I need to come home?”

“No,” he said, his voice rough.

“What do you need me to do?” Mattie asked, standing still in the middle of the aisle. There were only about four other people in the store, so she wasn’t in anyone’s way.

“Tell me about yourself,” he said, and her brow furrowed.

“Okay. What do you want to know?”

“Anything.”

“Okay,” she said, beginning to push the buggy again as she walked up and down the aisles, loading her buggy with food, water, cloths, and other various items she knew were needed back at the shop. “Well, I’m an only child. I’m 25. I watch more Netflix than I should, and I like to read. I’ve worked in the shop since I could walk. Most of the guys downstairs are my brothers in everything but blood. I don’t like Brussel sprouts. I’ve always wanted a small dog, but I don’t have the time for one. I’ve got about ten men who all act like my brothers, and about four men who act like my fathers. I live alone, but the guys come up and visit all the time. My favorite movie is The Princess Bride but I read in my spare time.” She rambled on for the rest of her grocery shopping before heading out to the car with her bags and loading them in the trunk. Finally, he seemed to calm down. “Are you okay now?”

“Yes.” He sounded tired.

“Do you want me to come home? I will if you need me to.”

“No.”

“Okay. I’ll be back in an hour or two, okay?”

“Okay.”

“I’m gonna hang up now. If you need me, call me.”

“Okay.”

“Bye.” She hung up and put her phone in her pocket, sighing. This might be harder than she thought.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mattie walked back through the door of the garage. “Water’s in the trunk, boys!” she called over the fan and sounds of machinery.

“Thanks, Matt!” came the collective call.

“Need help with the bags?” Sal offered, coming over to her.

“No, I’m good. I could do with the exercise,” Mattie answered.

“It’s no problem,” he insisted.

“Sal, really. It’s okay. Go finish ordering stuff.”

“I finished an hour ago. I was waiting on you to get back to sign off of it.”

“You know I already did, you liar.” Sal huffed a laugh, running a hand through his hair.

“Let me help, Mattie,” he said. She turned and walked through the garage, her arms loaded with bags.

“There may come a day when my strength will fail and I will have to make more than one trip to carry in groceries!” she called back to him. “But it is not this day!” Dan, Ben, and Artie joined in on the last line, and the garage erupted into laughter. She walked up the stairs and put the bags on the counter. Her guest was sitting on the couch, watching what looked like The Road to El Dorado. “I’m back,” she said. “Here.” She tossed three bags his way. “These are for you. I have to wash them, but it’ll give you something else to wear.”

“Who’s that?” a voice asked from the stairwell, and Mattie spun to see Sal standing at the top of the stairs.

“Sal Worthington, I told you I was fine!” she yelled.

“No, you said you didn’t need help.” Mattie was about to scream out of frustration.

“Why do you have to be so flippin’ nice? No one in the all of history is as nice as you, and I can’t—ugh!” Sal shrugged and put the rest of the bags on her kitchen floor.

“It’s a gift. So, who’s that guy?” Mattie looked over at her guest, who was frozen with wide eyes trained on Sal. He looked terrified. It wasn’t hard to be intimidated by Sal. Six feet, four inches of tall, muscled Texan. Chocolate brown hair hung to his jaw, often casting a shadow over his angular face and hazel eyes. Really, he was a sweetheart, but he looked as if he could kill a man with his index finger, which he probably could.

“This is Sal,” she said to her guest. “He’s one of the guys who works downstairs.”

“Nice to meet you,” Sal said, sticking out his hand. The man stared at it.

“Sal, that’s Chris,” she said. “He’s—I’ll tell you later, okay?” Sal pulled his hand back and nodded.

“Okay.” Sal started to walk downstairs, but Mattie stopped him before he left the room.

“Sal.” He turned around and looked at her. “Don’t tell Dan he’s here, okay? Or any of the guys. Not yet. I’ll tell you later, I promise, but trust me on this for now, okay?” Sal nodded.

“Sure, Matt. I promise.” Mattie heaved a sigh of relief.

“Thanks.” Sal nodded again and went back downstairs, closing the door after him. Mattie sagged against the kitchen counter. “I’m so sorry,” she said to the man on her couch. “I didn’t think he’d come up here. I know you aren’t up for much attention and such, and you probably won’t be here that long anyway. I assume so, anyway. You can stay for however long you want, I don’t mind.” She stopped, aware that she was on the verge of panicking. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself. “I’m sorry,” she apologized, looking at the man who watched her silently. He stood up, and for a minute she thought he would leave, but he stopped in front of her and hugged her. She was a bit shocked, but then realized that he had been watching movies all day, and might have just felt like a hug. She leaned against him and hugged him back gently, not wanting to startle him. “I know you weren’t ready for other people, but they’re good guys. You’re safe here. I promise.”

\------------------------------------------------------------

The Soldier was confused. He’d surprised himself with hugging the girl, but she’d looked so upset that he’d wanted to do something to comfort her. After all, she’d given him a place to sleep and food to eat, even though he didn’t do much of either, and she’d taken care of his injuries without being harsh. He’d been a bit surprised by the tall man appearing in the doorway, but he’d been more worried about the threat level to the girl than to himself. He could take care of any adversary, no matter the size. She was easily breakable; as long as he was here, he’d protect her.


	4. Chapter 4

Mattie was back downstairs early the next morning, unlocking doors and making sure there were waters in the fridge. Her guest, whom she’d dubbed “Chris” for the time being, was still asleep when she’d left, so she’d left him a note telling him to get his clothes out of the dryer when the timer beeped and where to find the food she’d set aside for him. She was going to eat lunch with Dan and Sal back at their house with Jimmy, the man they’d taken in. She did this about once a week, if not more, just for fun. She didn’t want him to freak out if she was gone for too long. He knew to call her if he needed anything. Artie, surprisingly, was the first to show up to work today. “Hey, Art,” she said, waving to him. “You’re on time for once!”

“Colin drove me.”

“That explains it.” Sure enough, his brother walked through the door. Well, fell through it would be more accurate. Poor Colin was not the most graceful of human beings. He straightened himself, running a hand through his raven waves.

“Morning, Mattie!” he called.

“Hey, Colin. How’re you?”

“Good. Tests are finally done.”

“That’s great! Got your grades back yet?” Colin rolled his blue eyes towards the ceiling.

“No, not until tonight.”

“Well, let me know when you do, and we’ll celebrate.”

“Or plan a funeral,” Colin replied, grinning.

“I got wood out back for a funeral pyre if we need it.”

“Thanks, Matt. You’re the best.”

“I know. You stayin’ to work today?”

“Yep. What’s going on?”

“You can help Dan when he gets here. He was complaining about not being able to reach something the other day. Ben’s got school, so he won’t be around to help out, and you’re the next smallest.”

“Thanks, Matt,” Colin laughed, going to get changed.

“Welcome.” Sal and Dan walked through the door next, Sal ducking a swing from his brother.

“Alright, alright, I’m sorry!” Sal laughed, leaping to the other end of the garage, out of his brother’s arm reach.

“You better be. Disrespect my baby again, and see what happens!” Dan’s eyes were hard and full of warning.

“Sal, you didn’t!” Mattie exclaimed, putting a hand over her heart. “How dare you diss on that beautiful car!”

“I didn’t! I said it could use a wash! That’s all! I swear!” Sal ducked behind his desk, effectively ceasing the conversation. Mattie poked her head out to look at the Worthington’s Impala parked out back.

“Sal, we need to get your eyes checked. There’s not a speck on that car!”

“That’s what I said!” Dan yelled before going to work with Colin on the F-150 he was working on. Mattie looked at the clock.

“Anyone hear from Carlos and Bart?” she yelled.

“No!” was the collective answer. She grumbled under her breath before pulling out her phone and calling them.

“Hello?”

“Bartholomew Adams, you better be here in ten minutes or I’m gonna tear you a new one!” she said, stepping outside.”

“We’re almost there! I’m sorry! Alarms were still set on New York time!”

“You have ten minutes, Bart.”

“We’re coming, I promise!”

“You better be.” She hung up and shook her head.

“They comin’?” Dan asked as she walked past.

“Yeah. Slept in. Clocks were still on the other time zone.”

“Don’t they set automatically when you cross over?” Sal asked.

“Remember, this is Bart we’re talking about. He finds ways to break a shoelace.”

“True, true.” Bart and Carlos ran in with a minute to spare. Both were panting and red-faced.

“Glad to see you boys could make it,” Mattie said. “Get to work. Dan! Give these two somethin’ to do!”

“You got it!” Mattie may own the garage, but Dan ran it most of the time. He was the oldest out of all the workers, and he knew the most about cars. Mattie had yet to find a car that he couldn’t fix. Therefore, he was usually the head honcho. Mattie went over to Sal’s work area and sat down on his desk.

“You need me to sign anything?” she asked.

“Yeah, actually. Here.” He handed her a clipboard with papers on it. “That first one signs off on the next order of parts. Second one is Artie’s day off for his sister’s graduation in Chicago. Third one is work schedule for next month.” Mattie looked over everything before looking back at the second page.

“Colin!” she yelled.

“Yeah?” he called back.

“Why aren’t you going with Artie to Meghan’s graduation?”

“One of us has to work, Mattie!”

“Whatever! You’re getting a day off! Go support your sister!”

“But—”

“No! I’m the boss. I said go; you go!”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Good!” She added Colin’s name to the page and signed it and the other two pages before handing it back to Sal. “There ya go, big guy,” she said, ruffling his hair.

“Stop that,” he said, straightening his hair back.

“No. Never. I’ll be doing it until you lose all of it.”

“Heaven forbid. And besides, then you’d just rub it because you like to mess with me.”

“You’re right,” Mattie admitted. “It’s just fun.” Sal stood up and pulled her into the actual office where his computer was.

“You gonna tell me about that guy upstairs now?” he asked. Mattie sighed and closed the door.

“I don’t know who he is,” she said. “He showed up three nights ago with a coyote bite that was really bad. He’d broken in. I took him upstairs and took care of him, and he’s staying until he gets back on his feet. I think there’s more to him, though, Sal. I think he’s got PTSD or something like that. He had a full-blown break down two afternoons ago when I went upstairs for lunch. We got through that. Had a nightmare the first night.”

“Has he hurt you?” Sal asked. Mattie shook her head.

“He's barely said a word. He had an episode yesterday while I was at the store, but he called me and I helped him through it. He’s been through something terrible, Sal, and I want to help him if he’ll let me.”

“Why didn’t you tell us about him?”

“One, he’s only been here for three days. I don’t know if he even wants to stay, or how long. Two, can you honestly tell me that Dan wouldn’t run upstairs and give him the third-degree if he found out? Or you? Or any of the guys?” Sal sighed.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. It’s just because you’re like a sister to us.”

“I know, and y’all are my brothers, but I didn’t rush over to your house when you two took in Jimmy, and look how he turned out. I can take care of myself, Sal. I just don’t want you guys to overwhelm him.”

“Is Chris even his name?”

“No. I don’t know what his name is. I just sort of dubbed it on him.”

“What if he doesn’t like it?” Mattie laughed lightly.

“Out of all the things to be worried about, you’re worried that he won’t like his fake name?”

“Hey, you’re right. You can take care of yourself. Is that saying I won’t help Dan give him the third-degree when we do officially meet him? No, but I’m going to trust your judgement on this.”

“Thanks, Sal. You’re the best.”

“Don’t tell Dan that. He might kill me.” Mattie laughed and headed back out.

“Don’t worry. I won’t let him,” she answered. With that, she went back out to see Bart and Carlos working on a Toyota Camry while Colin and Dan worked on the F-150. Artie was cleaning some of the tools from the Porsche the day before, and she smiled to herself. Yep. This was the good life.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mattie waved to Colin and Artie as the two pulled away before locking the door. Once making sure everything was locked up for the night (she’d replaced the door that her guest had broken in through), she headed upstairs. “Hey,” she said upon entering her upstairs apartment. The guest looked up from his book when she entered.

“How was work?” She held in a gasp of shock. He’d never actually spoken to her directly before.

“It was good. Dan and Colin finished up the F-150 they were working on. The owner’s gonna be by Monday to pick it up. Bart and Carlos finally showed up after their vacation in Seattle, thank God. We were needing the help. What’d you do all day?”

“Read.”

“What’re you reading?” She tried to peek at the cover, but she couldn’t see it.

“ _Adventures of Tom Sawyer_.” Mattie smiled.

“Oh, that’s one of my favorites. How do you like it?”

“I—I remember this.”

“Playing?”

“No. I—I lived this. I—I—it’s all messed up.” He gripped his head, his eyes screwed tightly shut. Mattie hurried to his side.

“What’s wrong?” she asked worriedly.

“My—it’s all scrambled. I—I can’t remember. N—nothing makes sense.” His face was pale and sweaty.

“Hey, it’s okay. Don’t worry about it,” Mattie soothed, gently grabbing his shoulder. “It’ll all come back to you sooner or later. Until then, you’re welcome to stay here with me. I promise.” He shook for several more minutes. “Hey, look at me,” she said, gently pulling at one of his hands that gripped his hair in a fist. He raised big, tearful eyes to her. “It’ll be alright,” she said. “I promise. I’ll help you. There’s no stress on you whatsoever to do anything or go anywhere. Stay as long as you want to. I like having the company.”

“You—you don’t mind?” he asked quietly.

“Not at all,” she assured him, shaking her head to further prove her point. A lone tear dripped over the edge of his eye, and she gently wiped it away. He grimaced and slammed his eyes shut again, gripping his head. He started mumbling under his breath, but it didn’t sound like English. “Does your head hurt?” she asked. He nodded slightly. “Okay. You stay here. I’ll get you something for it.” She was wary of leaving him alone, even if it was just to the other side of the room, but he was clearly suffering from some sort of mental trauma. She stood up and kept an eye on him as she went into the kitchen and got him some water and ibuprofen. She returned to his side and held out the pills to him. “Here. Take these. It’ll help.” Shakily, he took them and swallowed them, chasing them with half a glass of water. “Are you hungry? I can make you something to eat, if you want.” He was still shaking. She grabbed a knitted blanket from the back of the couch and wrapped it around his shoulders, rubbing his back gently. “Here. Lay down, okay? You don’t have to sleep if you don’t want to, but just lay down and close your eyes. I’ll make you something small to eat, okay?” She slowly pushed him over to lay down on the cushions and left him curled up in a tight, shaking ball. She didn’t sleep much that night, instead caring for her guest.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------

The garage was closed the next day, but Mattie was up early, holding her phone to her ear as she stood on her small balcony outside the living room. “—and he was shaking. Like, a lot. He finally went to sleep something around one this morning, but it wasn’t a good one. He kept crying out in his sleep and tossing.” She listened to the voice on the other end of the line and sighed. “I was afraid of that. Listen, I know you’re not happy about it, but do you think you could come over sometime today? Bring the others, and just—watch him. You’re good at reading people. I trust your judgement.” She listened again. “Thanks. You’re the best. I don’t know what I’d do without you. Bring something for hamburgers for lunch, okay?” A pause. “Great. I’ll see you at 12:00. Bye.” She hung up and stood, leaning on the railing as the birds chirped. There was the quiet sound of the door opening behind her, and she looked over her shoulder to see “Chris” step out silently. “Mornin’,” she greeted.

“Morning,” he replied.

“Feel any better?”

“A little.”

“That’s good.” He leaned against the rail next to her.

“Thank you,” he said quietly.

“For what?”

“Everything. Taking care of me, giving my clothes, putting up with me—not being afraid of me.”

“Why would I be afraid of you?” she asked. He looked down at his metal arm pointedly. “Oh, that. To be honest, I find it kinda cool. I’ve never seen that kind of thing before. Then again, I’m a mechanic. I find all kinds of odd things interesting.” They stood in silence for a moment.

“I don’t remember anything,” he said finally. “Well, some things, but not a lot. I  _think_  I remember some things, but I could be thinking that I have that memory instead of it being real.” Mattie looked over at him.

“I’ll help if I can,” she said.

“Ask me questions,” he answered.

“Okay. Favorite color?”

“Blue.”

“What color blue? Light? Dark?”

“The color of the ocean. I went there with my—my family and—and somebody else. It—it was special.” His face pinched as he tried to remember.

“Do you want to move on?”

“No, no, it’s almost—keep pressing.”

“Was it a special holiday?”

“Yeah. It was a big one, but that—we were there for another reason. I—I can’t—”

“Someone’s birthday?”

“Yes! It fell on a holiday! S—s—Steve’s birthday was on a holiday!” He looked up at her with a bright smile, the first one she’d ever seen. He had a very nice smile. “My friend Steve’s birthday was on—it was—Fourth of July! We went to the beach for his birthday, my family and his! I remember!” His smile couldn’t get any bigger. “I remember!” He grabbed her in a hug and spun her around. Mattie giggled happily.

“That’s wonderful!”

“Keep going! Maybe we’ll find something else!” He was vibrating with excitement.

“Okay, um, what’s your favorite movie?”

“Movie?”

“Yeah.” He hummed slightly and thought for a moment.

“It’s—it’s an animated movie,” he said, squinting into the distance. “We were really excited to see it. It was new. Everyone was talking about it.”

“Old animation or new?”

“No, it was new then. Had just come out. We went to see it together. Stevie was excited because he likes art. There was a princess, and a forest, and—and a witch!”

“Do you remember the princess’s name?”

“It was—it was—no. Her hair was—it was black.”

“Black as night?” Mattie prompted.

“With skin as white as—Snow White! Stevie and I went to see it when it came out! No one had ever done that before, and we went to see it four times. That’s my favorite movie.” Mattie smiled, though that only raised more questions.  _Snow White and the Seven Dwarves_  had come out back in the early 1900s. Maybe he had seen the newer one?  _Mirror Mirror_? But there had been movies like that a lot. She shook it off and looked at her guest, who was smiling so much she was afraid he was going to pull something.

“Do you want to keep going?” He seemed torn. “How about this? I have an empty notebook inside. You can write down the memories you have in it, so you won’t ever forget them.” He nodded excitedly and ran inside. Mattie smiled and followed him in, going to her room and coming back with the spiral notebook. “Here ya go. You can keep it. I don’t need it.”

“Thank you,” he said before freezing. “I don’t know your name,” he said.

“Mattie,” she answered with a smile. “Or Matt. I answer to both.” His smile faded suddenly.

“I don’t remember mine,” he said.

“Well, I called you Chris yesterday. Would you like to keep that?” He nodded. “How about I come up with one for you for now, and we can work towards finding out your actual name later?” He nodded again. While he wrote down his memories, she tried out different combinations of names with Christopher to see how they sounded. He was writing for a good hour before looking up at her.

“I remembered my little sister’s first birthday,” he said. Mattie smiled.

“That’s great! I came up with some options for names, if you’d like?” He nodded and looked at her expectantly. “Christopher Michael?” He shook his head. “I didn’t like that one much either. I figured we can just make your last name Jones since it’s pretty common.” He nodded. “Christopher Mark?”

“No.”

“Christopher John?” He shook his head again.

“This one was my favorite. Christopher Lucas?” He smiled and nodded.

“I like that one,” he said.

“Great! That’ll be your name for now. Warning: the guys like to give nicknames, so you might have to answer to about five different names.” Chris smiled and nodded. “Oh! Before I forget, Dan and his crew are coming over for lunch. There’s gonna be four of them.” Chris nodded.

“Thank you for telling me.” Mattie smiled and nodded.

“If you want, we can slowly start to bring them over for you to meet, and you can start helping down in the garage. We always need an extra set of hands around there.” Chris smiled.

“I’d like that. It gets boring up here.”

“I know. I don’t have much to do because I’m usually downstairs keeping everyone in line. For now, we can watch TV. There’s a football game on this afternoon that the guys are gonna want to watch.” The two sat down on the couch, completely relaxed.


	5. Chapter 5

A series of knocks sounded on the door, and Mattie got up to answer it. “Hey, Ben,” she said, ruffling the teen’s dark hair.

“Hi, Mattie.”

“Finished with school yet?”

“Got one more week.”

“Great! I expect you to be here bright and early the next morning.” Ben grinned and nodded, heading towards the kitchen with his bags. Sal was next up the stairs. “Hey, Sal.”

“Hey. How’s Chris?”

“You can probably ask him yourself. It’s been a good morning.”

“Cool. Dan and Jimmy are coming. Had to grab the last of the stuff.”

“I forget feeding you four is like feeding an army.” Sal laughed and followed Ben’s path. She could hear him greeting Chris as he went, and she looked down to see Dan and Jimmy coming up the stairs. “Need any help, boys?” she called down.

“We got it,” Dan called back.

“Matt, where are you pans?” Sal yelled from the kitchen.

“Second cabinet to the left of the oven!” She stepped out of the path as the two men tried to fit through the doorway at the same time. “Honestly, you two do this every time,” she sighed, pulling Jimmy’s arm to get him through the door. “The doorway doesn’t get any bigger while you’re gone.”

“It should,” Dan grunted. “We can fit through ours.”

“That makes me ask why you two tried to see if you could fit through the doorways at your house.”

“It was a game, okay?” Dan said, exasperated. Mattie could see the smile on his face, though.

“Hi, Jimmy,” Mattie said, ignoring Dan’s grumbling.

“Hello, Mattie,” the man answered, his smile making the edges of his blue eyes crinkle.

“It’s been a full twenty-four hours since I last saw you. Just couldn’t stay away could you?”

“You’re a much better cook than Dan,” he answered.

“I heard that!” Dan called from the kitchen.

“I’m glad you’re not losing your hearing in your old age, Daniel!” Mattie yelled back, following Jimmy into the rest of the apartment. She started laughing at the sight of three grown men and a teenager trying to fit in her tiny kitchen. “Sal, get out of there before you hurt yourself. You too, Ben.” Chris was standing in the living room, shifting awkwardly. “Oh! Boys!” All eyes turned to her. “This is Christopher Jones. He’s staying here for a while. Chris, you’ve already met Sal, briefly. That’s Dan, his brother, and Jimmy Nolan, their friend. This here is Ben, Dan’s kid. Don’t let them push you around; they’re all teddy bears inside.”

“This teddy bear will fight you,” Dan grumbled, and Mattie smacked his arm.

“There will be no fighting in my house, Daniel Worthington! You will eat by yourself and get no desert!” Dan stopped talking. “Ben, go grab the games. You know where they are.” Ben’s brown eyes lit up in excitement.

“Okay!” Ben disappeared for a bit, and Mattie shooed the other two men to sit down. She took the seat next to Chris, and Sal sat across from her, letting Ben take the rocking chair in the corner. He came back with Uno, Phase 10, Sorry, and Heads Up.

“You really think we’re gonna be able to play all of those before the game starts?” Sal asked with a smile. Ben shrugged, unapologetic. Mattie got up to turn on the radio to play faintly, mostly for Dan’s benefit while he was cooking out back.

“Mattie, is the grill on?” Dan called.

“No, but you know how!” He and Jimmy slipped out of the door to the balcony, and Mattie returned to her seat to see Sal dealing out Uno cards. “Oh, you’re going straight for the kill, aren’t you Sal?”

“Gotta get my hits in while I can. Jimmy always wins when we play at home.”

“You’re just mad because he’s got a better poker face than you do,” Ben said with absolutely no emotion, and Mattie started laughing so hard she actually stopped making sound for a moment. Sal actually looked shocked, and Mattie gripped her stomach, trying to catch her breath.

“Ben, no!” she laughed, finally gaining her voice back. “That was a low blow! No!” Ben grinned at her innocently, and Mattie shook her head. “Dan, what have you done to this kid? He used to be so sweet!”

“Don’t blame me! That’s all Sal!”

“Sal is a sweetheart. That comment was all you!” She glanced over at Chris, who was smiling and biting his lip to keep in his laughter.

“I regret nothing!”

“Let’s just play the game,” Sal said, and Mattie grinned.

“Let the Hunger Games begin,” she said. “We’re playing for blood, Sal Worthington.”

“Wouldn’t have it any other way,” he answered, smirking at her.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------

“Mattie, I need somewhere to put this!” Dan called. Mattie hoped up, looking threateningly at the three she was playing with.

“Touch my cards and I’ll string you up by your toes.” Three nods, and she went into the kitchen to clear space on the counter. “Okay, Dan! You can bring it in!” Jimmy opened the door for him, and Dan navigated the living room furniture back into the kitchen, putting the plate with the hamburgers on them on the counter.

“There,” he said, wiping sweat off with his arm. “All done.”

“I don’t think there’s gonna be enough,” she answered, observing the group. “You all eat like it’s gonna be your last meal.”

“Ya never know, Matt,” Dan replied.

“Well, ideally, you shouldn’t, though. Boys! Lunch! Dan, go turn the game on. It’ll start in about twenty minutes. That gives everyone time to get their food and such settled.”

“Yes, ma’am!” Dan saluted her with a smirk before departing. Everyone else was already lined up before he realized what she’d done. “Mattie, I’m gonna get you for that.”

“Have to save the fries for some of us, Dan,” she answered, sticking her tongue out at him. Chris was pressed up against her side, and she handed him a plate. “Don’t worry. It’s okay,” she said lowly. He nodded but didn’t change his position. He did continue a conversation with Ben about some movie that he’d apparently watched while she was downstairs working. She was glad he was talking. The smack-talking from the card game was probably what got him loosened up. She and Sal were terrible about it, but it was all in good fun, and it never really got them anywhere, because Ben had beaten them at Uno, Chris won in Sorry, and Phase 10 took a long time to finish. They were saving Heads Up for when Dan and Jimmy joined. Two teams of three was always more fun. Mattie and Sal weren’t huge football fans, so they were going to keep playing, and Ben was an amazing multi-tasker, so he was going to stick around too. They had told Chris that he was more than welcome to quit playing and watch the game, but he hadn’t answered, so they figured he was going to keep playing too. Everyone took their original spots while Dan and Jimmy sat facing the television. Soon, their card game conversation died out in favor of listening to Dan’s comments on the game and Jimmy’s responses to him. The four in the back of the room constantly broke out into quiet laughter and hidden grins. Around half-time, the card game finally ended. “Yes!” Mattie cheered, fist-bumping the air. “Take that, Sal!” He grumbled good-naturedly and put up the cards out of the way. Mattie collected the remaining dishes with Chris’s help, and she left him cleaning them (he insisted. She was willing to let them sit until the end) while she got desert orders. They lined up on the other side of the counter and let her hand them the slices of pie that they wanted (Dan had brought three pies). She set two aside for herself and Chris before helping him put the dishes in the dishwasher. “Are you doing okay?” she asked quietly. The game had started back up, and they couldn’t be heard by the guys in the living room.

“Yeah, I’m okay, actually. They seem nice.”

“They are. They’re my second family. I grew up with them. They only live a little ways down the road, so my dad would let me walk over there to play with them while our dads were working in the garage.”

“It really is a family business, isn’t it?” Chris asked. She nodded.

“Yep. Four generations of families have worked in this place. We’ve updated everything over the years, but it’s the same old building. I love it. I wouldn’t want to do anything else.” He nodded and worked in silence for a bit longer.

“Mattie?” he asked.

“Yeah?”

“Do you—would you mind if I worked down there sometime?” She looked over at him. They’d talked about this before. He was more than welcome to; she’d told him so. Maybe the excitement of the day had made him forget.

“Do you know anything about cars?” she asked.

“I—I don’t—”

“It’s okay. Don’t worry about it. We’ll teach you like we’ve been teaching Ben. Any time you want to come down, come on. It’s a great way to get to know the guys better. I don’t mind at all.” Chris grinned widely.

“Thanks.”

“Welcome. C’mon, let’s finish these dishes before someone comes looking for us.”

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mattie stood outside the door, watching the Worthington crew load up into Dan’s car. “You boys got everything?” she called over. Sal nodded to her.

“Yeah, I checked.”

“So responsible, Sal.”

“Somebody in this family has to be.”

“Hey!” Dan’s indignant cry sounded sharply through the night air, and Mattie giggled. Ben squeezed her middle in a hug before slipping into the back seat. Jimmy waved from inside the car. He wasn’t much of a hugger unless he was worried about someone. Sal gave her a hug before pulling back to look at her.

“He has my approval, Matt,” Sal said. “He seems like a good guy; he’s just had a rough life, I think.”

“I think so, too. Thanks, Sal.” He nodded and headed back to the car, getting in on the passenger’s side. Dan walked up to her and ruffled her hair.

“Take care of yourself, brat.”

“You’ll see me tomorrow, jerk.” The two laughed and hugged.

“He hurts you, or you think you’re in danger, you call me,” Dan said seriously. “I’ll be here in ten seconds.”

“I know, Dan. I will, I promise,” she answered. “Thank you.”

“Dan, Ben has school in the morning,” Jimmy called from the backseat, and Dan rolled his eyes.

“I know, I’m coming! Bye, Mattie.”

“Bye, Dan.” Dan got into the driver’s seat, and Mattie watched as they pulled out onto the road, heading towards their house. She locked the door behind her before walking back upstairs. Chris was sitting on the couch, watching the news that came on after the game. “What’s up?” she asked.

“Nothing,” Chris said, turning off the television. Mattie raised an eyebrow at him slowly but didn’t comment on it.

“Did you have fun?” she asked, sitting next to him. “I know they can be a bit loud and rowdy, but I hope you liked them.” Chris nodded.

“Your friends seemed very nice. I liked watching you talk with them.” Mattie laughed a bit.

“Sal and I can get a bit heated during games. Dan says it’s because we’re so much alike that we get competitive. He’s probably right, but don’t tell him I said that. His ego’s big enough as it is.” Chris laughed and nodded. He sat quietly for a moment, and Mattie could tell he was working up the courage to ask a question. “What is it?” she asked.

“You said that Ben is Dan’s son?” he asked cautiously. Mattie nodded.

“Adopted. We’re not quite sure if he’s blood or not. But they act enough alike that it doesn’t matter.”

“I didn’t want to be rude—”

“It’s okay. I can tell you. Dan used to date Ben’s mom a long time ago before his dad made them move towns. When Dan finally got to meet back up with her, Ben was already there, and the time and such matched up, but she swore up and down that he wasn’t Dan’s. Dan stuck around, helping take care of Ben and such. Ben and his mom got into a car accident one night. She didn’t make it. Ben didn’t have anyone else, so Dan adopted him, and they all live together now. It’s not really a sensitive topic anymore. It happened a good five years ago, at least, but it’s good that you asked me instead. Dan was pretty attached, and her death hit him hard for a while. Having Ben helped him out of it, and Ben’s been helping out here for a summer job ever since.”

“He seems like a nice kid.”

“He’s definitely Dan’s kid, whether he’s blood or not. Dan claims that Sal’s had more of an influence on him that he has, but he’s lying through his teeth. Ben is the spitting image of Dan. You’ll see it when Ben starts working here after he finishes school.” She stretched and yawned. “Well, I’m exhausted. I’m going to bed. Do you need anything?”

“No.”

“Okay. Goodnight. Wake me if you need anything.”

“Goodnight, Mattie.”

“Night, Chris.”

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------

“He’s a natural, Matt,” Dan said two days later. “I showed him everything yesterday, and he’s doing everything on his own today. He only had one question, and that on changing out a belt. I didn’t even show him that!” Mattie grinned and watched Chris work under one of the cars that wasn’t an urgent fix. Ben was with him, having got out of school early, and was helping him reach harder-to-reach places in the engine. The two seemed to be having a good conversation, and Mattie when to go help Artie with an old truck one of the farmers had brought in. The suspensions were shot, and the axel had gotten bent out of shape on a really bad bump.

“Move over, Art. Let me get in there.” The rest of the morning was pretty routine. Sal answered the phone, and Collin and Bart went out to tow a broken down car in to be fixed. Mattie sent Carlos out to get lunch, and he brought back five pizzas that were quickly scarfed down before everyone went back to work. She felt a tap on her shoulder when she was elbows deep in a sedan. “Yeah?” she called back.

“Can you come look this over?” Chris asked nervously. She straightened up and nodded.

“Sure. Dan, can you finish this?”

“Yeah, I got it.” Mattie followed Chris over to the car, looking everything over.

“Here, go get the keys from Sal, and we’ll start ‘er up.” Chris nodded and left. Ben looked up at her. “How’s he doing, Ben?”

“Pretty good. Better than I did on my second day. I only had to help him reach stuff. He did it all himself.”

“Wow, really? I remember this car engine. It was a mess.”

“I think he got it all, Mattie.” Chris came back with the keys, and Ben hopped into the cab, starting up the engine. Mattie listened to the engine and checked a few things over.

“Okay, Ben!” she called, and he turned it off. “Everything seems to be in working over. I couldn’t have done it better myself. Good job, bud,” she said, slapping a hand on Chris’s shoulder. He froze, his eyes glazing over. “Hey, you alright?” she asked, instantly worried. Ben looked at him nervously. “Ben, go get a water.”

“Yes’m.” He was gone in a flash, and Mattie pulled a chair over for him to sit in. Sal gave her a worried look from where he sat nearby, and she shrugged at him. Ben came back with the water, and Mattie pressed it into Chris’s hands.

“Hey, come on back, buddy,” she said gently. “Come on. It’s okay.” His eyes blinked several times before he focused on her, seemingly dazed.

“What—what happened?” he asked shakily.

“I don’t know. You tell me. You just froze.”

“I—I remembered something.”

“That’s good. You wanna go upstairs and write it down?”

“No,” he shook his head. “Not now. But—it’s important.”

“What is it?”

“My name.” Mattie smiled.

“That’s great! Can you tell me what it is?”

“Bucky. He called me Bucky.”

“Who did?” she asked gently.

“Steve.”

“Oh, okay. Well, we can call you Bucky, if you want.” He nodded slightly before shaking his head more firmly.

“I like Chris, for now. I don’t feel like whoever Bucky is supposed to be. I like this. I like it here.”

“You’re welcome to stay here, Chris. I told you that. For as long as you want.” He nodded. “Now, why don’t you take a break in the office, where it’s cool, and when you’re feeling better, you can come back, okay? Drink that water, and cool off. We’ll put you back to work when you’re steadier.” He nodded and walked past Sal into the air conditioned office. Sal gave her a curious look and she shook her head. Dan walked over.

“What’s up?” he asked.

“Chris had a rough moment. He was a bit shaken up. Don’t worry. I sent him inside to cool off a steady himself. He’ll be back.”

“Okay. How’d he do on the car?”

“It’s great! Like, it’s all fixed, and we can call Mrs. Jennings to come get it.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I looked it over and everything, Dan. It’s all fixed.” Dan whistled, impressed.

“Well, I hope he’s planning on sticking around. We could use another set of hands.”

“I know,” Mattie answered. “I think he’s planning on it.”


	6. Chapter 6

Mattie lounged on one end of the couch, her feet running down to tuck themselves underneath the cushion that Chris was sitting on. They were both watching a rerun of  _Bonanza_  on T.V., and neither had spoken much except for Mattie mumbling occasionally about how the bad guy for this particular episode was “being mean to my baby.” Chris grinned at her every time she did, but he didn’t tease her about it. A commercial came on, signaling a two minute break, and Mattie jumped up to grab drinks out of the fridge. “Chris, do you want something to drink?” she called as she stuck her head in the fridge to grab a drink.

“Sure! We have any Coke?”

“I  _knew_ there was a reason I liked you!” She came back into the living room with two Cokes in her hands, handing him one as she settled back into her spot, tucking her feet back under the cushion.

“For my charm and good looks?” Chris teased, giving a half-smile.

“I was going to say good tastes and humor, but we’ll go with that,” she shot back, nudging him with the edge of the cushion as the show started back at the climax of the episode. “I swear, if this guy shoots Little Joe—” Mattie muttered. Chris huffed a small laugh and looked over at her with a smile.

“You’re really attached to him, aren’t you?” he asked.

“Hush, my husband is on T.V.,” Mattie said, waving a hand at him. He bit back a loud laugh and waited until the inevitable shoot-out ended in the villain dead and Little Joe shot in the arm. “Oh good,” Mattie sighed. “Just an arm wound. He’ll be fine.” Chris smiled at her.

“Why are you so invested in this show?” he asked.

“My dad and I used to watch it when I was a kid. I’ve seen almost all of the episodes. Little Joe and Hoss were always my favorites. We watched  _Hogan’s Heroes_  and  _Dukes of Hazzard_  a lot too. We watched a lot of television when he wasn’t working.”

“You don’t talk about him much,” Chris commented. Mattie took a sip of her drink before sitting up slightly. The television was forgotten in lieu of the conversation.

“Well, it’s not like there’s not a lot to talk about, but I sort of forget that you haven’t always been here. Everyone else, I grew up with. We all know each other’s parents and extended family and everything. I forget you don’t know everything like everyone else. What do you want to know?”

“Well, you told me about him running the business.”

“Yep.”

“And that you watched old T.V. shows.”

“Uh huh.”

“What was he like?” Mattie sat and thought for a minute.

“Well, he worked hard, but always made time for me. He let me hand him tools down in the garage if I could reach them. I learned to walk down there. I mean, he went out of his way to make sure that I had fun when he was working, even if it slowed down his work. If I really was in the way, he usually sent me down to play with Sal and Dan or called Artie and Colin’s dad to come get me and let me play with them.”

“Their dad didn’t work here?” Chris asked.

“Oh, no. He’s the mayor. Artie started working here for a summer job back in middle school, and Colin brought him lunch every day. He went to school in the summer because he wanted to skip grades, but he came and had lunch with his brother.”

“Why’d he skip so many grades?”

“He wants to be a doctor like his grandfather, but he doesn’t want to be in his fifties by the time that happens. He’s only 22, and he’s on his third year of med school. He took a lot of AP and dual-enrollment classes and completed a lot of his college classes early.” Chris whistled.

“Wow.”

“I know. He’s very excited.”

“When did he start working here?”

“Right after senior year.  He wanted some extra cash for when he went to college. Then, he decided to stay at home and take online, so he works here when he doesn’t have classes and such he has to do.”

“And his brother?”

“Artie just never left. His father wants him to pursue politics like him, but he’s just not as interested. Artie’s dad has extremely high expectations for him and expects him to follow in his footsteps, but Artie’s more like his mother than his father.”

“You talk about Colin and Artie as if they have different families.”

“They do. Colin’s adopted. His father was never in the picture, and his mother couldn’t take care of him because she got sick all the time, so he went into foster care. Artie’s family took him in, and the two are like brothers now. Colin still goes and sees his mom as often as he can, and she’s doing much better now.”

“What about Bart and Carlos?”

“Oh, those two?” Mattie laughed. “Sometimes I wonder why they’re here. Carlos is amazing with machines. I haven’t seen anything yet that he can’t fix or rig-up in some interesting way. He usually handles the technical sides of things that some of us can’t handle. Bart, on the other hand, is almost a fish out of water at times. He and Colin are about as clumsy as they are smart, bless their hearts. He’s quick, though. Lightning fast, almost. And precise about it. He usually works on the ones that are on a rush to be fixed. Bart and Carlos have been friends since they met. Carlos’s dad works in town, and Bart lives with the police chief. They went to a different school than the rest of us, but they say they like working here, and they do good work, so I’m not complaining, but sometimes—” She trailed off and shook her head. “They’re all good guys, and I love all of them. It wouldn’t be the same without them.” Chris smiled.

“I like them. Everyone seems nice.”

“They are. Dan can get a little snappy at times, but if he messes with you, sass him right back. Sal usually gets him under control, but if you’re quick on the draw, Dan’ll warm right up to you, and you’ll never have to worry again. And I’ve heard you mutter the comments, so don’t think I don’t know you have them.” She pointed at him, and they both laughed.

“I was hoping nobody heard them,” Chris admitted, letting his hair fall over his face almost like Sal did to shut people out. Mattie leaned forward and tucked the hair back behind his ear.

“Seriously, you’ll just get laughs out of us. You’ll notice that we harass each other quite a lot. The comebacks may not be good, but you’ll get at least a few chuckles. We’ve been around each other so long we bicker like siblings. You’ll fit right in, I promise. Dan sort of already likes you because of how fast you picked up the stuff he showed you. He’s really the only one you have to warm up to. The others are pretty quick in making friendships. There’s no need to worry.” Chris smiled.

“What about you?” he asked.

“What about me?”

“Are you quick at making friends?”

“Nah. The guys downstairs and about three other people are all the friends I have. I don’t get out much, if you haven’t noticed, but I like having a small group of friends. I don’t mind.”

“Are we friends?” Mattie smiled.

“What do you think?” Chris looked at her silently for several long moments.

“Mattie?”

“Yeah?”

“Can I try something?”

“Sure, I guess.” He stood up and moved down the couch to sit next to her legs.

“Can I tell you what I think about everyone?” Mattie looked up at him and set her drink on the coffee table.

“Yeah.”

“I think they all see you as their little sister who they have to protect but is more than capable of taking care of herself, even if she does use a bat as protection against intruders.” Mattie smiled. “They’d do anything to keep you safe, even if they don’t have to, and they trust you about the strange amnesiac that you’ve taken in who doesn’t know a thing about himself. I respect them, and I know I’ll get along well with them.” She grabbed his hand and squeezed it.

“I’d say you’ve gotten them down pretty well,” she replied. Her small smile turned into a look of concern. “You really don’t know much about yourself? I thought you were getting better.”

“I am, but I only remember bits and pieces. I do know one thing for sure, though,” Chris said quietly.

“What?”

“I’d do anything to keep you safe too.” He slowly leaned closer and closer, until the two met in a small, but perfect kiss.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Four months had passed, and Chris was fitting in just fine. She even let him borrow the car to make runs into town if he wanted to. The guys in the shop got along great with him, and he was amazing at working on the cars. After the first week, he was practically doing all of his assigned jobs himself. Mattie grinned as he and Ben joked while standing next to the fan. The heat was terrible today, and everyone was doing everything they could to stay cool. She’d already gone up and changed into shorts and a T-shirt, and most of the guys were either shirtless or in tank tops and all of them had rolled up their pants legs. The fans were all on full-blast, and water was being consumed by the gallon. Mattie was sitting with Sal and Carlos in the air-conditioned office. “Hey, Matt,” Carlos said.

“Hm?”

“How’s Chris doing? Memory-wise, that is.”

“Pretty good, I think. He’s been filling up those journals of his pretty constantly. He doesn’t talk to me about it a lot of the time, but I don’t mind. He seems to be doing pretty good. Why do you ask?”

“Just wondering, and it’s too hot to go out there and ask him.” Mattie rolled her eyes.

“Carlos, you’re too much sometimes.”

“Thanks.” The phone rang out in the shop, and Mattie stepped out to answer it.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Mattie.”

“Hey! My favorite uncle! What can I do for you?”

“Well, I got some time off from work, and I thought I’d come visit my favorite niece for a day or so.”

“Sure! You know you’re always welcome. I do have someone crashing on my couch though, so bring an air mattress.”

“Really? Who?”

“A friend. Don’t worry about it. He’s a good guy.”

“It’s a he?”

“Yeah.”

“And you didn’t call me?”

“Of course not. What good could you have done? I’ve got eight big, strong, intimidating men that I work with on a day-to-day basis. You live hundreds of miles away.” There was an audible sigh over the phone.

“We will discuss this when I get there, Matilda.” She groaned and rolled her eyes.

“Fine. I’ll see you in a few days. Have to get back to work now. Bye.”

“Bye.” She hung up the phone and groaned louder.

“What’s up?” Dan asked.

“My uncle is being my dad.”

“Again?”

“Yeah.”

“What about this time?” Bart asked.

“Chris.”

“Huh?” Chris looked over at the sound of his name.

“Why is he upset about him?” Sal asked, coming to stand nearby.

“I don’t know. Probably because I have a guy sleeping on my couch. But that shouldn’t bother him because you guys are here, like, all the time, and it’s not like I can’t handle myself.”

“He’s just trying to look out for you, Matt,” Chris said. “I understand.”

“Still, he shouldn’t make up his mind about you before he’s even met you.”

“When will he be here?” Bart asked.

“Few days from now. Probably Thursday. He’ll probably stay until Saturday. He doesn’t get time off of work often.”

“Is he bringing your cousins?” Ben asked.

“No, not this time. Sorry, Ben.”

“It’s okay.” Everyone slowly went back to work, dripping sweat. Later, after the shop closed, Mattie and Chris trudged up the stairs.

“You get shower first today,” she said, flopping onto the cold kitchen floor. Chris looked down at her.

“You sure you want to be laying in the floor, doll?”

“I’m already filthy. Might as well take advantage of it. Gonna clean tomorrow since my uncle’s coming.”

“Is he weird about that stuff?”

“No, but I probably should clean anyway. Dan can handle things down there tomorrow.”

“Do you want me to help?” Chris asked.

“No, it’s fine. You don’t have to.”

“I will anyway. Artie and Collin will be in tomorrow, so it’ll be fine.” Mattie rolled her eyes.

“You’re stubborn, you know that?”

“No more than you, sweetheart,” he said with a wink before heading down the hall towards the shower. Mattie giggled.

“One of these days, I’m going to come up with a nickname for you, and you’re going to be stuck with it!”

“Keep telling yourself that, doll.” The sound of the bathroom door closing ended the conversation. Mattie rolled her eyes again.

“It’s a good thing I love you!” she yelled down the hall. She could hear his laughter from the kitchen. She smiled and peeled herself off of the floor, grabbing a water out of the fridge and sipping it while she waited for her turn in the shower. He came out twenty minutes later, his hair still dripping. They passed each other in the hallway, and he kissed her cheek as he passed her.

“I love you too, Mattie,” he said lowly, winking at her as he went into the living room to watch TV. She felt a blush rise in her cheeks before ducking into the bathroom.


	7. Chapter 7

Mattie was under a car draining the oil pan when someone kicked her foot. “What, Colin?” she called.

“Not Colin.”

“Uncle Clint!” she exclaimed, clambering out from under the car and hugging him. He laughed and hugged her tightly.

“Hey, Mattie. How’re you?”

“Disgusting. Do you see what I’m doing here?”

“Yeah, I do. Need any help?”

“No! Go put your stuff down upstairs. I’ll be up in a second.”

“Sure thing.” Her uncle went upstairs, waving to some of the guys as he went.

“Colin, can you finish this up for me?”

“Yeah, of course.” Colin slid under the car, and she headed upstairs.

“So, I noticed your car wasn’t parked outside,” Clint said as he sat on a stool. “Is something wrong with it?”

“Nah. Bart and Chris took it into town to get food. They’ll be back soon.”

“They don’t have their own car?”

“They do. Actually, it’s the one I was changing the oil on. It’s Bart’s car.”

“Chris doesn’t have one?”

“Nope.”

“So, which one is Chris?”

“Uh, long brown hair, blue-gray eyes, taller than me. Really well built. You’ll know him when you see him. He’s the only one you won’t know.”

“So, how’re things at the shop?”

“Same ol same ol. Cars to fix. Few dents to iron out. Nothing too interesting. We did have a broken timing belt that was only attached by one little part of it. That was fun, because the rest had frayed and caught all along other things. But that’s about it. What about you? How are things on the farm and at work?”

“Farm is the farm. Goat had babies last week. Chickens are still laying eggs. Kids say hi, by the way.”

“Oh okay. And work?”

“Got some new co-workers.”

“Oh? And how are they fitting in?”

“You know how it is. Some are friends. Others aren’t. It is what it is. We get along enough to get stuff done.”

“When are you going to let me meet them?”

“We all have pretty busy schedules, Mattie. There’s no telling when we’ll get called back in.”

“I know. It’d just be nice to meet the people that put up with Clint Barton all the time.”

“More like I put up with them. They all like me.”

“Somehow, I doubt that I’d get the same story from them.”

“Mattie!” Dan’s voice called from downstairs.

“Yeah?”

“Bart’s back with the food!”

“Coming!” The two headed downstairs and dug into the pizza. Mattie stood next to Chris. “Have fun with Bart?”

“I am never riding with him again,” Chris answered, shuddering slightly. “I barely made it back.”

“Yeah, that’s why Carlos drives. Bart drive as though the speed limit is a suggestion, not the law.”

“Hey! I heard that!” Bart protested.

“Good! I meant for you to!” The group chuckled, and Clint looked over at the pair. Marie saw his eyes widen when he saw Chris. “Oh! Uncle Clint, this is Chris Jones. Chris, that’s my Uncle Clint. He’s visiting for a little bit.” Chris got a weird look on his face.

“Have we met?” he asked, tilting his head to the side. Clint shook his head.

“No, I don’t think so.” His face said otherwise, and Mattie made a mental note to ask him about that later.

“Are you sure? You look really familiar.”

“No. I’m sure I’d remember you.” He looked pointedly at Chris’s metal arm, and Mattie saw Chris shut down.

“Chris, would you run up and get us some paper towels? With the way Carlos is eating, we’re going to need them.”

“Hey!” Mattie snickered, and Chris headed upstairs. Mattie pulled her uncle to the side.

“Don’t stare at his arm. It makes him uncomfortable.”

“It’s made of  _metal._ ”

“You’re being mean. Stop it. He’s my friend.”

“Mattie, do you know who that is?”

“Yes. He’s my friend.”

“He’s got a  _metal arm_ , Matilda. Doesn’t that ring any bells?”

“It doesn’t matter if it did, Uncle Clint. He’s a sweet person. He means a lot to me, and you’re being uncharacteristically rude!”

“I just want you to be safe, Mattie.”

“I am! He’s never hurt me or anything. So, stop it. If you have a problem with him, then you made the trip down here for nothing, because you sure aren’t staying here.”

“He’s dangerous, Matilda! I just want you to be okay!”

“I can take care of myself!”

“Yeah, right. You use a  _bat_  for protection, Matilda! What happens when someone has a gun?”

“I own a gun, Uncle Clint! I just would rather not use it! But this has nothing to do with Chris. If you can’t grow up and be nice to him, then leave!”

“Fine! If you end up dead, don’t expect me to care!” He was gone in ten minutes, and Mattie stood in the middle of the garage, silently fuming. Dan walked up to her.

“Hey,” he said, putting a hand on her shoulder. “Are you okay?”

“He’s being a jerk. He’s trying to be my dad, when he knows he isn’t.” Mattie couldn’t hide the growl in her voice.

“He’s your only family, Matt. Maybe you should give him some space.”

“No. You guys are my family too. If he can’t accept Chris, then he can’t be here, because I’m not putting him in that situation. I’m taking the rest of the day. You handle things down here.”

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Mattie sat on her couch, staring at the floor. Chris came up a few minutes later, wiping his hands on his pants. “I thought your uncle was going to stay for a while,” he said, his face showing his confusion.

“He was, until we had a disagreement.”

“What about?” Mattie sighed and ran her hands through her hair before giving him a crooked smile.

“It’s not important, Chris. Don’t worry about it.”

“No, it is important. You’re upset.” He came and sat down next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “Mattie, come on. It’s me. You can talk to me.” She sighed and leaned into his shoulder.

“You mean a lot to me, you know that right? Like, it’s not just because you live here. I genuinely care about you.”

“Yeah, I know, Mattie.” His thumb rubbed circles on her knee reassuringly. “You mean a lot to me, too.” He kissed her temple gently. “What’s wrong?”

“Uncle Clint said some things when you went upstairs,” she admitted. She felt Chris tense up. “And I need you to be absolutely honest with me, okay? I’ve never pushed you to tell me about your past. It’s always been on your terms, and I need you to just—please don’t be mad at me.” He squeezed her knee and kissed her temple again.

“I won’t, I promise. What do you want to know?”

“Do I—I know you would never, but—are you dangerous?” She squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to see his expression. In the past four months that he’d been with her, she’d grown to love him. He was such a kind and gentle person. He’d always been nice to her and the ones she called family. This wasn’t a conversation she wanted to have, not now, not ever. This was like asking Dan about Liza. It didn't happen. They didn't talk about that. Ever. She felt Chris tense up at her question. There was silence for several long minutes.

“Yes.” She nodded.

“Thank you for telling me.”

“You—you aren’t going to—” She shook her head, glancing over at him.

“No. You were honest.”

“Mattie, I’ve done terrible things. So much worse than you can imagine. I—I’m not a good person.”

“I don’t believe that for a second.” Chris stood up and started pacing, as was his habit when he was upset.

“I’m not! The things I’ve done, Mattie. The people I—if you knew you wouldn’t even look at me, much less love me!”

“I might.”

“You wouldn’t! No one would! I can hardly even stand myself!” She reached out and grabbed his hand, getting his attention. He looked at her with tired, tortured eyes.

“I know I would. Because I’m doing it now.” She let him process that sentence.

“You—you know?” he asked shakily. She felt him start to tremble and gently pulled him to sit back down.

“I have for several months now,” Mattie said calmly.

“How?”

“There are only so many people in the world named ‘Bucky.’ I looked up your name to see if we could figure out who you were, if you had family. I found several files online. I know, Bucky. I know everything, and I’ve never looked at you any differently than I have before.”

“You—you  _knew_?”

“Yes. I always have. But you’re not that person. Not to me. You’re the man who got bit by a coyote and broke into my garage. The man who was so lost and confused and became the strong, confident man I grew to love. I don’t care about the things you did. Because along with the records of what you did? There was what was done to you. None of it is your fault. The guilt is still there, I’m sure, and I understand that, but it isn’t your fault.” He was shaking, gripping onto her hand tightly.

“I—I don’t—you just—you knew, and you let me stay with you?”

“Yes. I did. Because I see the man behind all of what they did to you. I’ve never felt in danger around you. Never.” He grabbed her in a hug and hid his face in her neck.

“Thank you,” he gasped out. “Thank you so much. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The phone in her house rang, and Mattie answered it. “Hello?”

“I want to come see you again.”

“No. I don’t want to see you.”

“I’ll come anyway.”

“I won’t talk to you.”

“I’ll still come.”

“No.”

“I have friends that want to meet you.”

“No.”

“Mattie—”

“No!” she yelled. “What part of ‘I don’t want to see you’ don’t you understand? You aren’t my dad, and you never will be, and I don’t need you to tell me who I can and can’t hang out with! I’m not a kid! I’m an adult, and have been for a long time! If you show up at my house, I am not responsible for any injuries that will occur! Do  _not_  come down here! Am I understood?” There was a beat of silence. “So help me, I will hang up this phone!”

“I’m sorry, Mattie,” Clint finally said. “I promise, I’ll make it up to you. Please? I’ll even apologize to your friend.”

“He’s not my friend.”

“I thought—”

“I  _love_  him, Uncle Clint. I’m  _dating_ him. I was going to tell you, but you were too high and mighty to listen to me and let me tell you. You were concerned about his metal arm.”

“I’m so sorry, Matt.”

“No. A small apology isn’t going to fix this. Do  _not_  show up at my house.” With that, she hung up the phone.


	8. Chapter 8

“Matt!” Sal called.

“Yeah?” she answered, looking up from where she was elbows deep in an old Ford’s engine.

“You got mail!” Mattie grabbed a cloth and wiped her face.

“Who’s it from?”

“New York address,” Sal said. “I dunno.”

“No name on the front?” Mattie asked, coming over and cleaning her hands off.

“Not that I can see,” Sal answered as he looked over the front. “Neat handwriting though.”

“It’s handwritten?” She leaned over to look at it. “Wow. That’s a rarity. Let me go wash all this gunk off of my hands, and then I’ll take a look at it. I was about to go get lunch anyway. Leave it here, will ya?”

“Sure. Hey, don’t forget, Ben finishes school early today. Dan and I are going to pick him up for the weekend at the lake.”

“Oh yeah, I remember. You boys have fun.” She scrubbed her hands mostly clean and wiped them off. “Jimmy coming with you?”

“Yeah. You know he wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know, you just didn’t mention him, and I got concerned. I don’t like him being home alone, and you know it.”

“He’s got Riot and Bones to keep him company,” Sal answered as she walked back over to him.

“Two dogs is hardly enough, Sal. You’re taking the dogs with you, right?”

“Yeah, the dogs are coming too.”

“It’s a right family vacation you boys are going on over there,” Mattie teased.

“I know. Dan suggested it, actually. We were all kinda surprised.” Mattie shrugged.

“I can kinda see why. You boys haven’t done anything fun since you came over a couple of months ago, according to Ben. I’m sure Dan wanted to fix that.”

“You’re probably right.” Mattie smiled and took the letter from the table.

“This is odd. I’m going to go eat. Be back in a few minutes. You want anything?”

“Whatcha got up there?”

“Sandwiches, some leftover steaks, hot dogs.”

“Can I have a sandwich?”

“Sure. You’re picky, though, so come make it yourself.”

“I’m really now, but okay. I’ll be up in a bit. I have to look through these orders that came in.”

“Gotcha. Have fun.”

“Oh, I will.” Mattie giggled and headed upstairs, kicking her boots off at the door. She heated up the steak she and Chris had cooked two nights ago and sat at the table to eat while looking at the letter.

 

_Dear Miss Gordon,_

_You don’t know me, and I don’t really know you, but I work with your uncle. I’m not writing to apologize for his behavior towards you, because I’m acting from what he’s told me and I don’t want to make any assumptions. However, Clint did tell me something about you and your small garage that had me interested. You see, I’ve been looking for someone, Miss Gordon, and I think you found him for me. I’ve been looking for him for a very long time. I don’t know how much you know about him or his history or if you know everything and I’m just being stupid, but I’d like to come see him, if that’s alright. If you don’t want Clint to come with me, I can do that, but I’d like to have some back-up, ya know? If you, and your friend, are okay with Clint and I coming to see you, please call him. At least to give him an answer. Again, he doesn’t have to come. I know how much he can be sometimes. Thank you for your time, and I eagerly await your decision._

_Sincerely,_

_Steve Rogers_

 

Mattie set the letter down and ran to the stairs. “Chris!” she shouted, scaring the daylights out of Sal, who was walking up the stairs. “Sal, get Chris!” Sal turned around and yelled down for him. The brunette appeared in the doorway downstairs.

“What? What is it?”

“Get up here, both of you. Sal, you eat; Chris, you come with me.” Sal detoured at the kitchen, and Mattie scooped up the letter and led Chris back into her room, closing the door. She knew Sal wouldn’t eavesdrop, but still, it gave a sense of privacy to the matter.

“What’s wrong, Matt?” Chris asked, his brow pinched in worry.

“I got this in the mail today,” she said, holding out the letter. “Read it.” Chris sat down on the bed and read it over. Twice. He looked up at her, and she noticed that he was shaking.

“Mattie?” he asked quietly, and she sat down next to him, hugging him tightly. “He—he’s been looking for me? He—he doesn’t hate me?”

“It doesn’t sound like it. I can call and ask him. I won’t do anything that you don’t want to. We can get the guys as back-up, we can say no. We will do whatever you want. It’s up to you.” He was shaking like a leaf.

“I—I don’t—I don’t know. I—I want to see him, but—I’m scared.”

“It’s okay,” Mattie said, running a hand through his hair. “It’ll be okay. I’ll be right next to you the whole time, and we can bring some of the guys with us, too. We can even have them come here so everyone is here. You don’t have to do this alone.” He was silent for several minutes, shaking like a leaf and hiding in her shoulder before he sat up slowly, his jaw set in determination.

“Call him.”

“Right now?”

“Yeah. But you talk to him. I’ll listen.”

“Okay.” She went out into the kitchen to grab her phone from the counter. Sal looked up from his lunch.

“Well?”

“I’ll tell you later. We won’t be down for a while. Don’t let Dan make  _too_  many jokes at our expense, please?”

“I’ll try, but you know how he is.”

“I know, I know, but at least try. If he gets to five, tell him that I’ll withhold any and all pies I make from him for the next six months. That should do it.” Sal grinned and nodded.

“Okay.” Mattie scooped up her phone and went back into her room, sitting comfortably against the headboard while Chris used her lap as a pillow.

“Here we go,” she said to him, looking down at the brunette in her lap. “You sure about this?”

“Yeah.” That was all the answer she needed. The phone rang once before it was answered.

“Matt?”

“Put him on the phone.”

“Who?”

“You know darn well who, Clint Barton! Put him on the phone!”

“Mattie, I—”

“Now! So help me, I will hang up this phone and nobody will get anywhere!”

“Okay! Just—hang on, I have to go get him. I’ll be right back.” There was a crackling sound as the phone was laid on something, and Mattie muted her end of the phone.

“Still mad at him, huh?” Chris asked with a smirk.

“Oh, I’m very angry with him. If we didn’t need him, I wouldn’t’ve called him at all.” The phone crackled again, and Mattie unmuted her phone.

“Hello?” a deep voice that definitely wasn’t her uncle said.

“Hi,” she answered. “You’re Steve?”

“Yes, ma’am. You got my letter?” The two exchanged glances. They both heard the slight hope in his voice.

“I did. It came in today. I must say, it surprised me. I didn’t know my uncle worked with Steve Rogers.” There was a nervous chuckle.

“Yeah, we didn’t know about you, either. If he hadn’t told me about Buck—your guest—I wouldn’t have known you existed at all.” The brunette tensed up, and she ran her fingers through his hair soothingly.

“I suppose I want to know what you want to do, Captain Rogers.”

“Steve, please.”

“What do you want to do, Steve?” There was a deep breath.

“I just want my best friend back, Miss Gordon.”

“Mattie. Or Matt. I answer to both. And what if he isn’t the friend you’ve been looking for?”

“I’ve been looking for him for two years, Mattie. We’ve both changed. I just want him back. I’m willing to jump through whatever hoops you want me to jump through and do whatever needs to be done. I just want my friend back.” Mattie looked down at the man in her lap, who seemed to be tearing up. She gave him a small smile, and he nodded a bit.

“Well, I think it’s safe to say that he wants you back too, Steve.” The audible sigh of relief that came over the phone was both endearing and heartbreaking. “You can come over anytime next week. Stay for a few days, if you want. We’ve got room and board for you. But my uncle stays there. I don’t want to see him. Bring another friend if you want, but I promise, I will send both of you packing if he’s there. He wasn’t willing to hear me out, and I’m being petty, but I don’t want to hear him out either.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“You can text me at this number or get the home and office numbers from his phone. The office is probably the best. Just ask for me. I’m usually around.”

“Yes, ma’am. I will see you next week, then.”

“Oh, and Steve?”

“Yes?”

“Pack clothes that can get dirty.”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Mattie!” Colin called from the front of the garage.

“Yeah?” she answered from underneath a sedan.

“There’s two guys here to see you!” She poked her head out from under the car.

“Send ‘em over, Col!” She slid back underneath the chassis and grabbed the wrench she was using.

“Miss Gordon?”

“I thought we agreed on Mattie,” she answered. “And hang me that bolt, will you? The one next to the box.” She reached out her hand and felt a small something dropped into it. “Thanks. I’ll be out in a sec. Gotta finish this up. Mikey’s gonna be back to get it in an hour. Adam’s heading to college and needs this thing in top shape.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Mattie grinned to herself. So polite. She slid out a moment later to see Steve Rogers standing awkwardly next to the car, looking around the garage. There was a man standing next to him that Mattie didn’t recognize. He was dark-skinned with dark features and was only a bit shorter than Steve. She wiped her dirty hands on her pants—though that didn’t improve things much—and held out her hand to the two.

“Hi! I’m Mattie Gordon. Nice to meet you.”

“Steve Rogers, ma’am,” the blonde said, a polite smile on his face as he shook her hand.

“Sam Wilson,” the other one introduced himself, shaking her hand as well.

“Welcome to my garage, gentlemen. I know you’re here for personal reasons, but we all pitch in around here. You can put your stuff in that room there for now. I’ll show you around and introduce you.” Mattie grinned as the two men leapt into action. She and Chris had already spoken to the guys about what was happening, and they all promised to help out. Chris was going to stay at Dan and Sal’s house for the moment. Jimmy certainly appreciated the company. Riot and Bones were good dogs, but they weren’t people for Jimmy to socialize with. Mattie waited for Steve and Sam to get back by walking over to Sal’s corner and calling the Worthington house on the phone.

“Hello?” Jimmy answered the phone.

“Hey, Jimmy. It’s me.”

“Hello, Mattie. He’s arrived?”

“Yeah, and he brought a friend. How’s Chris?”

“He is enjoying Riot and Bones’ company in the backyard at the moment. Ben is going to show him the fishing spot down by the river later.”

“Good. Just shoot me a text if you need anything.”

“Of course.” She hung up after saying goodbye and looked to where the two were making their way carefully over to her.

“Okay, so this is the garage,” Mattie said, motioning around them. “There’s A/C in that room right there, and chairs and a water cooler if you need a break. This is Sal’s base of operations, and he’s out for lunch at the moment. He runs orders and paperwork. That room you just left was the locker room/storage area. The guys keep all their stuff in there. That door on the far end leads outside. The one in that corner leads to upstairs. Laundry room is up there. If you boys stay through Sunday, that’s laundry day. Guys!” she yelled suddenly. Five heads appeared from various positions around cars. “This is Steve and Sam! They’re staying for a few days!” All five men walked over to introduce themselves. “This is Colin, Artie, Dan, Bart, and Carlos. Sal’s out to lunch, but he’ll be back soon.” Hands were shaken before they all went back to work.

“This is great and all, but we came here to meet your guest,” Sam said gruffly.

“Sam,” Steve chastised, shooting him a look,

“Maybe you did, Mr. Wilson, but this is my house, and my work. I don’t have time to mediate any and all confrontations. My  _guest,_  as you call him, is out at a friend’s house, and he will return at a later date.” Sam scoffed a bit.

“Convenient.”

“Sam!”

“Whatever you might think, Mr. Wilson, he’s been here a lot longer than you have. We’re a family here. He wanted to go, so he did. I’m not telling him what to do. He’s had enough of that in his life. Perhaps he didn’t want to be here when  _this_  happened, because he doesn’t need your approval. He’s got ours, and that’s all he needs. So either get it line, or get out.” Sam’s eyes widened slightly.

“Yes, ma’am.” Steve gave her an apologetic look.

“Either of you know anything about cars?”

“A bit, yeah,” Sam answered.

“Dan!”

“Yeah?”

“Take Mr. Wilson here and give him something to do.”

“Sure, Matt.” Dan walked over, giving her a look. In a split second, the two of them had an entire conversation.  _He causin’ trouble?_

_Yeah. Keep him busy._

_You got it. Need to take him down a notch?_

_If you want._

_Sure thing._  Mattie motioned for Steve to follow her.

“Go ahead and grab your things. I only have room for one of you here. The other will stay with Bart and Carlos in town.”

“Why do I get the feeling that Sam’s going to be staying with them?”

“You’re a smart man, Steve Rogers.”

“I’m so sorry about him. He’s not usually like that.”

“It’s okay. He’s protective of you. I understand. I’ll meet you upstairs.” She went up and waited in her kitchen, making herself a glass of sweet tea to sip. Steve appeared atop the stairs a moment later, looking around. “Put your bag over by the doors to the balcony,” she instructed. “You’re on the couch.”

“No guest room?” he asked with a small smile.

“Nope. Just master.” Steve stood on the other side of the counter, looking at her.

“We have a lot to talk about,” he said. She nodded, putting her glass down.

“We do. But not now. I have a business to run.”

“You can’t keep putting this off, Mattie.”

“Who says I’m putting it off?” Mattie ran a hand through her hair in frustration. “Everyone assumes that just because I have an actual job that keeps me from having free time means I’m putting stuff off! I’m not! I have a job, Steve, and I’m sorry if my work is getting in the way of your personal life, but I’m not halting my life just to have a heart-to-heart about your old war buddy!” With that, she stormed past him and down the stairs, going back to work on the car in silent fury. Dan nudged her foot with his, coming to stand next to her.

“Which button’d he push?” he asked lowly.

“The work one.” Dan whistled.

“Shame. I liked him. He’s not as annoying as the other one.”

“Apparently, he’s a good guy.”

“Probably. Don’t like his attitude, though.”

“I thought you were gonna take him down a notch?” Mattie asked, holding out her hand. Dan put in a socket wrench. She went back to work.

“I tried. He’s a tough one. I think he’s just trying to protect Rogers. Seems that type of guy.” Mattie shrugged, and the two worked in silence the rest of the day.


	9. Chapter 9

“I’m not trying to protect him, you know,” she said, sitting down at her table. “He asked me to do this.” Steve nodded.

“I’m sorry. It’s just—I’ve missed him, and I find out that he’s been here this whole time, and I—” Steve sighed. “Bucky’s always been my weak spot. Probably always will be. He was there for me when no one else was or wanted to be, and we’ve had each other’s backs since the beginning. I get a bit touchy when it comes to him. And I apologize. I know you have a job and you need to do it. I was in the wrong.” Mattie looked up at him.

“I was wrong, too. You have to understand, Steve, before you meet him or do anything, that he’s a different person. I didn’t know him before, but I know him now. He’s not the same guy you grew up with. Not by a long shot. He still has nightmares and wakes up screaming and raging against the world. He still forgets things easily and doesn’t know some things he should. I do know one thing, though, and that’s that he wants to meet you again. Other than that, I don’t know what he’s thinking. I never asked. It’s his business, and he’s had people knowing everything about him for long enough. I’ve done all I can for him right now, but you  _have_  to help him from your end.”

“That’s all I want to do, Mattie. I promise, I’ll do my best,” Steve insisted, and Mattie could tell that he meant it.

“I’ll take you to see him tomorrow.” With that, she got up and went to bed.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mattie was up early and on the phone downstairs, getting everything ready for the work day. “Look, I’ll do whatever you want. It’s your friend and your past. Just tell me what you want to do.” Chris sighed heavily over the phone.

“I don’t know, Matt,” he said. “I mean, I’ve changed, and so has he. What if we don’t get along anymore?”

“That’s just a chance you’ll have to take, hon. I’ve got your back no matter what happens. I’m not working today, and Jimmy and I are going to give you two space to talk, but we’ll be there. Dan is handling things in the garage today, and everyone else is going to leave me alone for the day. We’re all rooting for you, but whatever you want us to do, that’s what’ll happen.” Chris sighed again.

“After this, I think I want to be called Bucky again,” he admitted after a long pause.

“Okay. We can do that.”

“And you guys can come over after breakfast.”

“Okay. We’ll be there.”

“Mattie?”

“Yeah?”

“This doesn’t change anything between us. You’re still my best girl, no matter what happens.” Mattie bit her lip slightly, fighting the tears that rose unbidden into her eyes.

“I know. And you’re my best guy. I’ll see you soon, okay?”

“I want a kiss.”

“The biggest.”

“Show him I’ve got a life here too.”

“He knows, hon.”

“I want him to  _see_. I’m not the guy that did all that stuff. He needs to see I’m different.”

“I know.” There was the sound of footsteps on the stairs. “I gotta go, hon. I’ll see you in a bit, okay? Just got to wait for Dan to get here.”

“He, Sal, and Ben left a minute ago.”

“Okay. Thanks. Bye, babe.”

“Bye, doll.” She hung up and looked over her shoulder to see Steve leaning against the doorway.

“That him?”

“It was a phone call. None of your business who it was.” Steve looked down sheepishly.

“Sorry, that was rude. I didn’t think.”

“Darn right you didn’t. Look, Steve, I get that your eager to see him, and I promise you will, but be civil about it, okay?” Steve nodded.

“I’m sorry. I’m just so far in my head.” The sound of tires on gravel sounded from outside, and Mattie looked up out the windows of the garage door to see a familiar black car pulling up outside.

“Look, I have to get Dan and everybody all settled in for the day, and then we’ll hop in the car and go. Is Sam coming with us?”

“No. It’s just us today,” Steve answered.

“Okay, then we’ll head out afterwards.” Mattie pushed the button to open the doors and waved as Sal, Dan, and Ben climbed out of the Impala. “Hi, boys,” she called.

“Hey, Matt,” Sal answered, greeting her with a hug as he always did. “They’re waiting for you.” His voice was so quiet that if he hadn’t been right next to her ear as he said it, she wouldn’t have heard.

“What’ve we got for today, brat?” Dan asked as he walked into the garage.

“The usual. Rick’s car broke down again, so somebody’ll need to go out and get it. And Mrs. Robinson’s car needs an oil change. Oh, and Hugh’s truck needs to be done. Other than that, take business as it comes, and answer the phone if it rings. If it’s my uncle, hang up.”

“Got it. You gonna be back soon?”

“No idea. See you boys later. Ben, keep them in line!”

“Yes, ma’am!” Ben answered with a sharp salute. Mattie giggled and climbed into her car, Steve getting into the passenger’s seat.

“Okay, here we go.” With that, she pulled out onto the road.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Worthington house had been in the family for years. For living out in the middle of nowhere, they had a nice house. Of course, it’d been updated as the years went on, but other than that, it was a nice, cozy house. There was a stream in the back yard that she, Sal, and Dan had grown up swimming and fishing in. Ben could usually be found done the same thing when he had extra time. Jimmy had a small vegetable garden behind the house that he cared for religiously. “This is nice,” Steve said as she parked the car and turned off the engine. Mattie smiled.

“Yeah. This is like my second home. I used to come over here all the time. Kinda still do, but not as religiously. Now, they all come to my house.” She snickered to herself before climbing out of the car. “It’s actually faster to walk through the woods behind the shop to get here, but I figured driving would be better for everyone.” Steve followed her up to the front porch, and Mattie just opened the door and walked in, smiling at the surprised noise the blonde made behind her. “Jimmy?” she called. “We’re here!”

“In here, Mattie!” Jimmy’s voice answered from down the hall. Mattie kicked off her shoes, motioning for Steve to do the same.

“He hates dirty floors. Always take off your shoes,” she whispered to him.

“Noted,” Steve replied quietly. The two walked down the hallway and into the study/office/library of the house. It doubled as Sal’s office away from the shop and Ben’s homework area as well. Jimmy was sitting in a chair, putting a book down on the table next to him. He rose to greet them as they entered.

“Hey, Jimmy,” Mattie said, smiling at him.

“Hello.”

“Jimmy, this is Steve Rogers. Steve, this is Jimmy Nolan.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Nolan,” Steve said, shaking his hand.

“The same to you, Captain.”

“I’ll leave you two for a minute. Jimmy, if you will talk to Steve about what we agreed on?” Mattie asked, and Jimmy gave her a nod as she walked out of the room. She went into the kitchen and grabbed a water bottle from the fridge. Leaning against the counter, Mattie looked out into the backyard. Suddenly, the sounds of nails on wood sounded, and Riot and Bones came around the corner of the stairs, running towards her. “Hey boys!” she said excitedly. “Hey!” Putting her water down, she knelt to greet Sal’s dogs. “How’re you two? Oh I missed you too!” They ran around her and wagged their tails energetically as she scratched their ears and backs. She looked up as someone entered the kitchen, and she smiled.

“Hey,” Bucky greeted.

“Hey yourself,” she replied.

“I was just taking them out. If you wanna come?”

“Sure.” Standing up, she slipped her feet into a pair of Dan’s shoes that stayed at the backdoor for moments like this. The shoes, of course, were too big for her, but they served their purpose. The two dogs followed excitedly as Mattie and Bucky went outside, letting the dogs run around and enjoy themselves. “So, how’s it going?”

“I’m nervous.”

“He is too. Extremely so. You should have heard him pacing last night. I didn’t think he’d  _ever_  go to bed.” Bucky grabbed her hand in his metal one, pulling her into a hug.

“I missed you.”

“You’ve only been gone two days.”

“I know, but I’ve been with you every day for the past forever. It felt weird to have to call you to talk to you.” Mattie smiled and laid her head against his chest.

“It was weird for me, too. But I’m glad we did it this way.” Her phone buzzed in her pocket, and she pulled it out, seeing a thumbs-up emoji sent from Jimmy. “There’s our signal,” she giggled. “They’re on their way out.” Bucky grinned down at her.

“Do I still get my kiss?”

“Maybe. If you’re nice to me,” she replied, stepping away from him with a playful grin.

“If I’m nice to you?” Bucky asked, playful shock on his face. “Doll, I’ve been nothing but nice to you since we met!”

“Maybe, but you’ve left me all alone for two whole days! That was mean! Mean ol’ Bucky left me all alone!”

“Come here, you!” he said, and she squealed, running away. Bones and Riot barked loudly and ran after her, joining in on the fun. Bucky chased her all over the yard, the two of them dodging trees and jumping over dogs that got underfoot. Finally, her got a hold of her hand and pulled her to him. “Gotcha!” he said triumphantly. The two were panting heavily, their faces red from running.

“So you did. You deserve a reward.”

“Ooh, what do I get?” She didn’t answer, choosing instead to stretch up a bit to kiss him, hugging him tightly as she did so. When they pulled away, Bucky was grinning. “I like that reward,” he said, leaning in for another quick kiss.

“I thought you would,” Mattie replied, leaning away before he could steal another kiss. He whined a bit. “C’mon, now you’re just using me to delay the inevitable.” The pout that crossed his face was adorable. “Nope, not gonna work with me, mister. I’ve been conditioned against the puppy-dog eyes. Just ask Sal.” She pulled away from his grip and grabbed his hand, heading back into the house. “Riot! Bones! C’mon!” The dogs ran up, wagging their tails excitedly.

“Do we have to?” Bucky whined.

“Yeah, we do, bud. He came this far for you. You owe him the same courtesy. Jimmy and I will be in the house the whole time. It’s okay.” Kicking their shoes off at the door again, they entered the kitchen to see Jimmy and Steve watching them. Steve stood up from where he sat at a barstool, and Jimmy and Mattie exchanged looks.

“Bucky,” Steve said, sounding almost scared to say his name.

“Hiya, Stevie,” Bucky replied, sounding just as nervous. The two were so tense and nervous that they didn’t notice Jimmy and Mattie slipping out of the kitchen and going back to the study. Mattie plopped down on the rolling chair, spinning it back and forth. Jimmy sat down in the chair he’d vacated earlier, and they settled in to wait.


	10. Chapter 10

The sound of the conversation carrying on in the kitchen had risen and fallen steadily over the past three hours. Currently, the only sound was low murmur, the voices too quiet and far away to be distinguished clearly. Mattie sighed and began spinning in the chair again. She only stopped when a hand hit her leg on the 123 spin. Though he was tilting a bit, Mattie grinned at the disapproving look on Jimmy’s face. “What? I’m bored.” He didn’t deem a reply fit for that statement and went back to his book. Mattie sighed again and began singing “Hey, Jude” under her breath. Jimmy glanced up at her, a small smile on his face, before returning to his reading. Suddenly, loud, boisterous laughter echoed through the house, and Bones and Riot jumped up from where they were napping in the sun from the window and ran towards the noise. “Bones! Riot! No!” Mattie exclaimed. She got up and went after them. The two dogs were in the kitchen, looking excitedly at Steve and Bucky, who were both laughing so hard tears were rolling down their cheeks. Mattie giggled at them before grabbing both dogs by the collars and leading them outside. “C’mon, you two,” she said, slipping on Dan’s shoes again. “Let’s let you get out some energy.” The two dogs played fetch with her for a good half hour until all three were tired out, and Mattie lay down on the grass, looking up at the clouds peeking through the gaps in the trees. Bones and Riot lay down next to her, heads lying on the stomach and legs. “No,” she whined playfully. “It’s too hot. No.” They didn’t pay her any attention. Sighing in resignation, Mattie watched the clouds float across the sky and the trees gently sway. The sound of footsteps on the porch broke her out of her thoughts and cloud watching, and the dogs perked up, their tails thumping against the ground. Opening her eyes, Mattie saw Bucky leaning over her, a smile on his face.

“What’re you doin’ on the ground, doll?” he asked.

“Watching the clouds.”

“You sure? Looked like you were nappin’ to me.”

“Well, I wasn’t. I was watching the clouds.”

“Mind if I join you?”

“Not at all.” He laid down next to her, and neither said anything for a long while.

“So, I talked to Steve,” he said suddenly. Mattie burst into giggles.

“I gathered as much,” she replied.

“It went a lot better than I thought it would,” Bucky continued, ignoring her giggles. She calmed down again.

“I’m glad. I told you it’d be fine.”

“I’m kind of surprised how easy it was to talk to him. It’s like, even though I don’t remember all of it, I remember how to be his friend. My mind doesn’t know, but the rest of me does. Does that make sense?”

“Yeah. Muscle memory and all of that. It makes a lot of sense.”

“I laid everything on the table for him, Matt. I told him that I wanted to keep you in my life. I want to keep my family here in my life. But I wanted him in my life, too. He’s my best friend. I don’t want to lose him again.” Mattie took a deep breath and sat up. Bucky looked up at her in confusion while Bones and Riot went back inside at Jimmy’s call from the backdoor. “What is it, doll?” He sat up too, looking at her in confusion and worry.

“I want you to go back to New York with him,” she finally said. Bucky’s eyes widened.

“You—you don’t want—”

“No! I do!” she interrupted, quickly fixing any transgression she’d made. “I always want you with me. Always and forever. Just—he knows more about you than anyone here. I think he could help a lot with your memories. You can go and catch up with him and work on memories and such, and then you can come back here whenever you want.” She grabbed his hands tightly. “I’m not saying I want you to leave forever, Bucky. If I could help you from here, I would, but I want you to have your best chance, too. Plus, Steve needs you as much as I do. Just for a little while, you can go to New York with him. Then, you can come back home.” Bucky stared at her for several long moments, thinking over what she’d said.

“Why don’t you come with me?” he asked.

“I’m needed here, Buck,” Mattie answered. “You can call me every day. We’ll get you a phone and such. I’ve done all I can to help you for now. It’s Steve’s turn.” Bucky grabbed her in a tight hug. Right then, she knew his decision.

“I’ll miss you,” he mumbled into her shoulder.

“I’ll miss you too, Bucky. Now, c’mon, let’s go home.”

\------------------------------------------------------------------

Mattie grinned as she listened to the banter in the garage. Dan had apparently succeeded in taking Sam down a few pegs, and he was getting along just fine with the others there. Currently, Sam and Dan were teasing Sal about his “rabbit food,” as they called it. Steve and Bucky were with Ben, watching the conversation with grins on their faces. Mattie shared a grin with Colin, who was texting Megan on his phone but still listening to the banter. It was closing time, but everything was already done. It’d been a slow day, but that just gave everyone more time to goof off. “When is Megan coming home?” she asked Colin quietly.

“Next week. She’s bringing some friends, too.”

“Well, she needs to come over. Make sure you tell her that.”

“I will, Mattie. You know she loves to visit.” Mattie smiled at him before glancing at the clock.

“Okay, boys, wrap it up. Leave Sal alone and get goin’, all of you!” Artie drove up to the front, getting out of his car to enter the building.

“Ready to go, Col?” he asked his brother. Colin nodded before pausing.

“Mattie, you told me there was something you had to tell us,” he said, turning to face her. Mattie looked over at Bucky, who came to stand next to her.

“Did you already tell Bart and Carlos?” she asked. “They left early, but I didn’t know if you got the chance.” Bucky nodded. “You wanna tell everyone?” He shrugged.

“I guess. Hey, guys?”

“Yeah?” Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked over at him.

“I’m going back to New York with Steve and Sam for a bit.” No one said anything. “It’s not for a while, but just to help with my memories and such. I’ll be back sooner or later. I need you to take care of Mattie for me.”

“We already do,” Sal said. The group nodded.

“Yeah,” Dan added. “You take care of yourself, and we’ll handle things here.” Bucky smiled a bit.

“Thanks.” Hugs and farewells were exchanged, and Artie and Colin drove off back towards town while the Worthington crew climbed into the car and went the other direction, towards their house. Sam went to get his stuff from the locker room, and Steve went to open the trunk to put his bags in. Mattie turned to where Bucky was hefting his bag onto his shoulder.

“You have everything?” she asked.

“Yep.”

“Clothes?”

“Yep.”

“Phone?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Necessities?”

“Yes. You helped me pack my bag, Matt. You know what’s in there,” he said with a fond smile.

“I know, but always double-check.”

“I have all of it, doll.” She sighed.

“Okay. I’m sorry.” Bucky put the bag back down and hugged her tightly.

“I’m going to miss you so much. I’ll call you every day, I promise.”

“You don’t have to. At least once a week is fine, Buck.”

“I know, but I want to. Gotta check on my best girl,” he said as he pressed a kiss into her temple. “I love you.” Matte smiled and squeezed him tightly.

“I love you too. Be careful, and have fun.”

“I’ll try. You don’t shut yourself up in that room of yours with your T.V. husband. Make sure to have fun, too.” Mattie huffed a laugh.

“Yes, sir,” she answered. She gave him a kiss, squeezing his middle tightly before letting go. “Go on. They’re waiting for you.” He picked up his bag and gave her another kiss.

“I’ll see you soon, Mattie,” he said lowly, giving her a pained look. She gave him a reassuring smile.

“You too.” She stood in the doorway of the garage, watching as Bucky put his bag in the trunk and climbed into the back seat. As Steve pulled the car out onto the road, she waved until the headlights disappeared over the hill. Mattie sighed, feeling an ache in her chest, but pushed past it. She went about locking everything up and turning off the lights before heading upstairs, being greeted with an empty house. Her phone buzzed in her pocket, and she pulled it out, smiling at the message there.

_I miss you already._  
But I know you’d only send me back if I showed up  
So know that I love you with all my heart, and I’ll be back soon.

 

_I love you too. I miss you too. Pretty much since the car disappeared._  
You’re right, I would send you back. You need to do this, Buck.  
I’ll be right here waiting when you get back.  
I love you. Goodnight

 

_Goodnight, doll._

Smiling a bittersweet smile, Mattie got ready for bed and fell into a restless sleep.


	11. Chapter 11

“Mattie! Phone for you!” Sal called from across the garage. Mattie got up and hurried over to the phone, giving Sal a smile and stepping into the indoor office.

“Hello?” she said into the phone, settling into a chair.

“Hi, doll,” Bucky’s voice answered, and Mattie broke out into a huge grin.

“Hi! How’re you?”

“Good. We landed yesterday, early afternoon. I fell into bed and woke up about an hour ago. I didn’t sleep well at the hotel or on the plane. What about you?”

“It’s been pretty slow over here. Sal’s here, but Dan took Ben out of town for a concert, so they aren’t here. Colin and Artie are bantering, as usual. Colin is making up names to call him again.” Bucky laughed.

“What’s the latest one?”

“Cabbage head is the newest one, so far. I’ll let you know if any others show up. Bart’s out of town, too. Family things. Carlos is here, though. We’ve got the T.V. on, watching M*A*S*H re-runs, it’s that slow over here.”

“Maybe it’ll pick up soon,” Bucky said.

“Maybe. Who knows? So, what do you have planned for today?”

“Well, Steve’s gonna take me around the old neighborhood, see if that shakes anything up. We’re gonna sightsee, too. Just see what happens, I guess.”

“I want pictures, okay? Of everything. Literally. I’ve never been to New York before.”

“I promise. I’ll send you so many you’ll get sick of them.”

“Never. Not as long as they’re from you,” Mattie said, a smile on her face. There was a moment of silence.

“Are you doing okay?” Bucky asked, concern evident in his voice. “I’ve been worrying about you.”

“Bucky, you’ve only been there for a day,” Mattie replied, though her heart panged. She hadn’t been doing well. Sleeping was hard. The house was too quiet without him. She was considering asking if she could bunk over at Dan and Sal’s until she wasn’t quite so lonely.

“But I miss you, and I know you don’t do well by yourself, despite what you’ve told me many times. Tell me how you’re doing.” Mattie sighed.

“The house is too quiet,” she admitted. “It’s too quiet and empty. I’m okay during the day, but it’s not easy.”

“Doll—”

“I’ve been thinking about asking Dan if I can just stay over there for a few days. Just until it doesn’t feel to empty anymore.”

“You know he’ll say yes. You don’t even knock to go in, Matt.”

“Yeah, but it’s nice to ask, ya know?”

“You should ask him. I don’t like you being there all by yourself.”

“You know, I did that before you showed up, Bucky.”

“Yeah, and you know what my first thought was? ‘What kind of person uses a bat to defend themselves?’ Just—for me, doll? Just so I know you’re safe?” Mattie smiled fondly.

“Okay. I will. For a few days.”

“Good. I’ll feel better knowing you’ve got someone there with you.” There was a garbled sound in the background of Bucky’s phone. “Steve’s calling me, doll. I have to go.”

“Okay,” she said, masking the sadness that welled up in her chest. “I’ll talk to you later. Have fun, alright?”

“I will. I love you.”

“Love you too, Buck,” she said.

“Bye.”

“Bye.” She hung up the phone and went back into the garage, putting the phone back in its place. Sal gave her a sad look. “Don’t give me that look, Sal.” He ignored her and stood up, pulling her into a hug. For once, she didn’t even tease. She just let him comfort her, fighting against the sadness threatening to consume her.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mattie’s phone buzzed as she stirred the sauce on the stove. Looking over at the screen, she broke out into a grin to see Bucky’s name across the screen. She tapped the screen, and his face appeared, grinning at her. “Hey, Bucky,” she said, propping the phone against the wall so she could see him as she cooked.

“Hey, doll. Whatcha doin?”

“Making spaghetti. Ben’s comin’ over for the weekend, and this is one of his favorites.”

“Ooh, lucky kid,” Bucky said, smiling playfully.

“That he is. He gets the rarely-made spaghetti,” Mattie replied. “So, what’ve you done today?”

“The Avengers had a mission, so I’ve been wandering around their headquarters. It’s a maze.”

“All by yourself?” Mattie asked, looking at him in concern.

“No. JARVIS was here.”

“Who’s JARVIS?”

“Tony’s AI. He runs the building.”

“You’re kidding,” Mattie said, eyes wide in disbelief. Bucky shook his head.

“Say hi, Jarvis.”

“Hello, Miss Gordon,” a British voice said, and Mattie gasped.

“Wow. That’s amazing,” she said.

“It’s weird,” Bucky remarked, looking back down at the screen. “He’s always watching.”

“I’m watching you, Barnes. Always watching,” Mattie said in a scratchy voice. Bucky laughed, and Mattie beamed at the sound. It was such a wonderful sound to hear after his being gone for three weeks. She’d missed him.

“Still making references, I see,” Bucky said, still laughing slightly. Mattie grinned at him out of the corner of her eye while she was draining the noodles into the sink and moving the sauce off of the hot stove eye.

“It’s all I ever do. It’s the language of my people,” Mattie replied, winking at him as she covered the sauce to keep it warm. Bucky smiled at her fondly.

“I’ll keep that in mind. What did you do today, doll? Stay out of trouble?”

“Well, it was my day off, so I went to the store to get food and other necessities. I fixed one of the boys in town’s bike while I was there, and I had lunch with Megan and some of her friends from school. You remember me telling you about Megan, right?”

“Artie and Colin’s sister, right? She’s spending her vacation here.”

“Yeah, that’s her. She brought some friends with her, and they’re great. All of us get along really well,” Mattie told him.

“Tell me about them,” he said, settling down onto a chair as he listened. Mattie picked up the phone and sat on the counter, letting her feet dangle.

“Well, there’s Megan, of course. She’s smart as a whip and quick with a sarcastic comment, but she’s very nice. Her friend Angel lives up to her name. She’s a sweetheart. She brought her boyfriend Landon with her, and he’s a lot like you, actually.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Very old-fashioned and chivalrous. I like him.” Bucky narrowed his eyes playfully.

“Do I need to come home and keep an eye on you, Mattie?” he asked with a grin.

“Oh no,” Mattie answered, laughing lightly, “He’s completely devoted to Angel. They’re precious. Anyway, there’s one other friend. Her name is Cherry. She’s bubbly and makes as many references as I do. She actually came by the garage on her own the other day and hung around, asking questions and such. She’s in her last year of school, and she actually has family near here, so I think she’s moving after she finishes.”

“Cool,” Bucky said. “Think you’ll finally get another girl in the garage?”

“Oh, she knows absolutely  _nothing_  about cars,” Mattie replied, giggling. “But she did tell me she’s a whiz with computers. She actually got that printer that jammed to work with a few clicks of the keyboard.”

“Wow, really? The one Sal couldn’t get fixed?”

“Yeah, that one. She was just tinkering around, and all of a sudden it whirred to life, and there we go! If she does want job, I’ll let her help update the system. Sal’s told me a thousand times we need a new one, but I just haven’t had the time to sit down and do anything about it.”

“Good. You need a girl around there.”

“What’re you sayin’ Barnes?” Mattie asked with a grin.

“Just that you have enough guys in your life. Need a few girls to talk to now and then.” Mattie rolled her eyes. There was a knock on the door.

“Hang on, Buck,” she said, putting the phone down and getting up to answer the door. She opened it, and Sal and Ben stood there. “Hey, guys!” she greeted, stepping aside to let them in.

“Hi, Matt,” Ben said, squeezing her middle before going to put his bag down next to the couch.

“Hey, Mattie,” Sal greeted, giving her a hug. “Thanks for doing this. He was really excited about it.”

“Hey, it’s the kid’s birthday. He deserves some fun. You guys go do grown-up things. I’ll take care of the little rascal.” She kissed his cheek and shooed him out the door. “Go on, Sal. Dan’s waiting for you, I’d imagine.”

“Yeah, he is.”

“Go on. Give him a hug for me, and I’ll see you next week, okay?” Sal nodded.

“Okay. Thanks again, Matt.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Bye, Ben!” Sal called over his shoulder.

“Bye, Uncle Sam!” Sal went down the stairs, and Mattie closed the door. When she turned, Ben was holding her phone and in the middle of a conversation with Bucky. “—but that’s not right, is it?” Ben asked. “I mean, you were there first.”

“Yeah, well, some people are just like that, bud,” Bucky replied. “I’m sure we’ll work it out.”

“What’re you two talking about?” Mattie asked, sitting down next to Ben.

“He and Sam aren’t getting along,” Ben reported.

“Bucky, you didn’t tell me that!” Mattie exclaimed, giving Bucky a scolding look.

“Sorry, doll. I guess I forgot.”

“Sergeant Barnes,” JARVIS’s voice said suddenly. “The Avengers have returned, and Captain Rogers asked for your presence.” Bucky sighed.

“Thanks, JARVIS.”

“Who’s that?” Ben asked.

“I’ll tell you next time, bud,” Bucky said. “Let me talk to Mattie for a sec.”

“Okay. Bye, Bucky!”

“See ya, Ben.” Ben handed Mattie the phone and went into the kitchen to serve himself some food.

“I’ll talk to you later, Bucky,” Mattie said with a smile.

“Okay, doll. Take care of yourself, alright?”

“Alright,” she answered. “Have fun. I love you.”

“Love you too. Hey!” he said as she started to hit the hang up button. “I have to talk to you about something. It’s important. I’ll tell you later.” His face was extremely serious. Mattie felt a bit of concern well up in her gut.

“Okay. I’ll be here.”

“Okay. Love you, doll.”

“Love you.” The call ended, and Mattie tried to squash the worry that swirled in her stomach.


	12. Chapter 12

Mattie was signing forms with Sal when the phone rang. Mattie reached over and grabbed it off of the cradle. “Gordon’s Garage. How can I help you?” she answered.

“Matt, it’s me,” Bucky’s voice said, and Mattie broke out into a grin.

“Hey! How’re you?”

“I’m okay. Can we talk?” His voice was extremely serious, and Mattie straightened, looking over at Sal.

“Uh, I guess so. Sal and I were just going over forms and such.” Sal shook his head.

“Go ahead,” he said quietly.

“I’ll call your phone.”

“Okay,” she said, but she grabbed Sal’s hand as she stood up, pulling him with her. This sounded like it was going to be an emotional conversation; she didn’t know why.

“Okay.” He hung up, and she put the phone down.

“What’s wrong?” Sal asked.

“Bucky called. Something’s up. He sounded very serious. You’re my emotional support. C’mon.”

“Okay.” Sal got up to follow her, and he whispered to Dan as they passed him, but the two went upstairs after that. Her phone vibrated in her pocket, and she answered it, going to sit on the couch. Sal sat next to her, his hand on her knee.

“Hey,” she answered. “What’s up? You sound serious.”

“Matt, something’s happened.” Her heart dropped.

“What?”

“Steve and the others went on a mission. They were supposed to be back three days ago. We haven’t heard anything.”

“From any of them?” Mattie asked.

“No. They all went. Nobody has radioed back at all.”

“So, why are you telling me this?”

“Mattie,  _all_  of them went.” Suddenly, it registered. Mattie started crying, and Sal grabbed her in a hug. “Mattie, doll, I need you to stay with me. I need to tell you this.” She sniffled many times and tried to force tears back in.

“I—I’m here,” she whimpered.

“Doll, nobody is here to go after them. There are a few agents, but none of them are very well trained. And Steve may be in trouble. Someone has to go after them.” Mattie whimpered more.

“What—what are—what are you saying?”

“I have to go with them, Mattie.”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------

The world disappeared from below her. She was falling. Everything else stopped moving. Mattie’s entire existence ceased. She stared unseeingly out at the other side of the room. Sal took the phone from her grip and placed it to his ear. “What did you say to her?” he demanded.

“Sal? What’re you—?”

“What did you say, Barnes?” he growled. “You must have said something to set her off. What was it?”

“It’s none of your business,” Bucky answered.

“Yeah, it is, actually! She’s my little sister! She’s my family! And I haven’t seen her like this since her dad died! So what. Did. You. Say.”

“Give her back the phone.”

“I would, but she’s in shock. Literally. I’m going to take care of this, and you are going to wait patiently until somebody calls you.” With that, Sal hung up the phone, turning it off. He got up and went to the stairs. “Dan!” Sal yelled, urgency in his voice. Dan appeared at the bottom of the stairs, taking them two at a time to get to the top. He took one look at Mattie, still frozen on the couch, but tears streaming over her cheeks, and went into protector mode. He grabbed a blanket from the basket on the floor and wrapped it around her shoulders, kneeling in front of her.

“What happened?” he demanded.

“Bucky said something to her, and she started crying, and then she told him that she was still there, and then she just froze. Barnes wouldn’t tell me what he said, but this is it.”

“You know what to do, Sal. Get going!” Sal leapt into action while Dan tried to bring Mattie back around with soothing words and gentle touches. Urgency filled him, aiding in his speed. He found the bottle that Colin had made for when this happened and hurried to find a clean cloth to use. Footsteps sounded on the stairs, and Bart, Carlos, and Artie appeared in the doorway.

“We closed the shop for a bit,” Bart reported. “How can we help?” Sal held out the bottle and cloth to Artie, who was closest.

“Give these to Dan. Bart, turn on the shower. Hot, but not scalding.” Both men sprang to obey the directions. “Carlos, call Jimmy and get him to bring the dogs.” Carlos nodded and pulled out his phone, going into the stairwell. Sal started warming up some milk for hot chocolate before going into her room to pick out comfy pajamas for her. He forced himself to think logically and not let panic overwhelm him. This was Mattie’s fight-or-flight reaction to emotional shock. Her body just shut down. It’d happened a number of times right after her dad had died, and a couple more when he and Dan had had a bad accident that landed Dan in the hospital for several weeks. Sadly, he’d been there for all of them and had his required actions down to a science. Coming back, he met Artie in the small hallway. “Call your sister,” he said. “We’re going to need her until she comes back around.” Artie nodded and passed Carlos coming back from the stairs.

“He’s on his way. He’s taking the shortcut through the woods,” Carlos reported, and Sal nodded, going back into the living room, where Dan was dripping small drops from the bottle onto Mattie’s wrists and massaging it in with his thumbs while wiping her silent tears gently with the cloth.

“She’s in deep this time, Sal,” Dan said quietly. “Not even a twitch.” Sal sighed. Suddenly, Megan appeared on the stairs, Artie trailing behind.

“I was coming to bring Artie lunch,” she explained as to her quick arrival. “What do you need?”

“We’re going to get her into the shower,” Sal said. “It’s fine if the clothes get wet. Clean ones are on her bed. We need you to—uh—” Megan nodded in understanding.

“Of course. Anything to help.” Dan gently picked Mattie up in his arms, and the two disappeared down the hallway. The group sat tensely in living room, and the house phone rang. Sal growled lowly, and Megan answered the phone.

“I’m assuming you were the one that did this?” she said, not even bothering to greet the caller. There was a garbled response. “I’m sorry, where did I ask for an explanation? This is your fault. We’re taking care of it. Don’t call back.” She hung up the phone, then pulled it off of the cradle, letting it stay on the counter to register a busy signal.

“Megan!” Dan called from the back, and she disappeared in a whirl of green fabric and black hair. Dan came back, his clothes sticking to him from the water, and Bart was out the door to downstairs in a flash. He reappeared a moment later with a bundle of clothes in his arms and held them out to Dan.

“Here. I grabbed them from your locker,” he said. Dan nodded his thanks and went to go change.

“How is she?” Sal asked, following his brother down the hallway.

“She came around a bit,” Dan reported. “She blinked a lot grabbed onto me when I tried to pass her off to Megan, but she’s got a long way to go.” Sal sighed. Dan finished changing and put his wet clothes in the washer as he passed it, going back to the main room. Jimmy appeared in the stairwell, Bones and Riot trailing after him.

“We came as quickly as we could,” he said. “How is she?”

“Slow going, buddy,” Dan said, sitting tiredly on the couch. Bones and Riot seemed to sense the tension in the air and sat quietly at Jimmy’s feet. Megan appeared in the entryway to the hall.

“She’s in the bed,” she said quietly.

“Sal,” Dan said, and the taller brother nodded.

“C’mon, Bones, Riot,” he said, and the dogs followed him down the hallway into Mattie’s bedroom. The dogs knew what to do in this situation and jumped onto the bed, curling around her and laying their heads on her stomach and legs. She was still crying, but she weakly lifted her head when Sal sat on the bed.

“Hey,” she rasped.

“Hey,” he echoed. “Think there’s room for one more in there?” he asked.

“Always.” He laid down next to her and let her curl around him, gripping onto his shirt in balled fists. Bones and Riot accommodated the shift, and the four lay there quietly for a long time. She sniffled several times, and Sal could feel a wet spot forming on his shirt, but he didn’t mind. She needed her family, and they weren’t going to let her fall.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mattie blinked open her eyes to be greeted by a ball of fur. Her head hurt, and her body ached, but she was instantly comforted to see Riot next to her. She reached out a hand and buried it in his fur. Riot perked up, turning his head to lick her arm. She smiled. When she shifted her weight, she felt an arm tighten around her, and she peeked over her shoulder to see Sal resting behind her. Mattie smiled again, deciding to let him sleep. The door to her room opened, and she saw Dan poke his head in. With the hand not pinned down by Bones, she waved at him. He gave a relieved smile and stepped into the room. Between the two of them, they managed to free her from Sal’s sleep-cuddling and let her and Riot out. Bones was content to remain with Sal. They went into the living room, and Dan pointed to the couch. Mattie obediently sat down. “I went ahead and let everyone go home for the day,” he said conversationally. “There wasn’t much work to be done, and nobody was really in any state to work anyway.” Mattie nodded. “Jimmy’s gonna bring back Ben from school, and we’re gonna have a pizza night.” She nodded again. Riot hopped up onto the couch next to her and put his head in her lap. Mattie smiled down at the dog and flopped his ears around lovingly. Dan handed her a warm mug, and she smiled, taking it from him and sipping the hot chocolate that he’d made for her. He sat down next to her and gave her a look. “So, you wanna talk about it?” he asked. Mattie sighed, looking down into her mug.

“Bucky called.”

“I knew it!” Dan growled. “What’d he do?”

“Dan, calm down, please,” Mattie begged quietly, and he took a deep breath before looking at her again.

“I’m good,” he replied. “Continue.”

“My uncle—he works with the Avengers. They went on a mission a while ago, and they were supposed to be in a few days ago. But they weren’t. They have to send a team in after them, but—” Mattie fought back tears, blinking furiously. “—but nobody is skilled enough to go in without super back-up. And—and he was calling to say—” Her breath was coming in short bursts as she fought against the sobs that welled up in her throat, and Dan took the mug from her, putting it on the coffee table. Riot hopped out of the way as Dan grabbed her into a fierce hug, and she started sobbing, wailing into his shoulder all of her fear and sadness. She felt another pair of arms surround her, and she knew that Sal had joined the hug. Bones and Riot curled at her feet, offering their own support, and Mattie had never loved them as much as she did at that moment. Her brothers, who always had her back and were always there when she needed them the most.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mattie turned on her phone after she’d composed herself. Jimmy had returned with Ben and pizza, and Sal was queuing up  _The Princess Bride_  on the television. Ben sat next to her, Bones resting his head between their knees. “Hey, Bonesy,” Mattie said lovingly, flopping his ears around before her phone started buzzing so much it almost fell out of her lap. “Holy Chuck!” she exclaimed, grabbing it before it could hit the floor. The screen showed multiple messages, many from her friends down in the garage. Most of them, however, were from Bucky. She froze.

“You don’t have to answer them if you don’t want to,” Jimmy said lowly from where he stood nearby.

“I won’t,” she replied. “Not yet. It’s late over there. Maybe in the morning.” She opened them and replied to the ones from her friends with various forms of “thank you” and “I’m okay now.” They all responded with encouragements and that they’d see her soon. Then, she went to the ones from Bucky.

 

_Are you alright?_  
Mattie, doll, answer me  
What’s going on?  
You’re never away from your phone. What’s wrong?  
Mattie, why won’t you answer me? Sal said something was wrong.  
Don’t ignore me, please  
Call me  
Mattie, I left you a voicemail. Please call me when you get this.  
Please answer me, doll. I’m really worried now.  
Nobody’s answering at your house. Is everything alright?

Here, there was a gap of about half an hour before another message appeared. And it was a long one.

_Mattie, I know I should have talked to you more,_  
but Steve needs me. He always has, and I can’t let him  
down now. I’m leaving in fifteen minutes. I don’t know  
what’s going to happen, but I want you to know  
that I don’t regret anything. If everything led me  
to meeting you, I would go through all of it again.  
Every bit of it. You’re the best thing  
that’s ever happened to me. I wanted to tell you  
all of this over the phone, but you aren’t answering  
for some reason. I hope you’re okay. Even if you  
aren’t, I know that Sal is with you, so he’ll keep  
you safe, as will the others. I have to go, sweetheart,  
but I love you so, so much, and I miss you more than  
I can even explain. Say hello to Ben for me, I miss the  
little rascal. I hope you get this before I leave so I can  
actually talk to you, because I’m so worried about you,  
and I’m scared, doll. I don’t know what’s going to happen.  
I want to come back to you. This wasn’t in my plans at all.  
I was going to stay here and work on my memories (which  
are going pretty well, actually), and then go home to see you,  
but all of this happened. I have to go now, doll. I love you.  
Never forget that. You’re my whole world. Be safe, darling.

_Love, Bucky_

Mattie was aware that more tears were falling, and Ben leaned against her in a hug. She turned and hid her face between his head and that couch, letting herself cry again until she was mostly okay. She sat up again and kissed Ben’s cheek, giving him a watery smile. Dan sat on her other side, and he draped his arms around her shoulders, pulling her into him so her head rested on his shoulder. The group settled in to watch the movie, and Mattie allowed herself to laugh at the funny parts, but there was a wound inside of her, deep and bleeding, that she knew wouldn’t be fixed until she knew Bucky was safe.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------

Mattie lay in her bed, pinned down by the dog on her torso. Riot was staying with her for the night, as was Dan. Jimmy, Sal, and Ben had gone back home after the movie was over and finishing off the pizza. She’d gone to bed while Dan took the couch, but Mattie couldn’t sleep. Her mind was going too fast. Finally, she couldn’t take it. She gently urged Riot off of her and sat up, reaching into the dark for her phone. Turning on the screen, she blinked against the blinding light and unlocked the phone. There were no messages, but she decided to send him a text anyway. She gathered her thoughts and pulled Riot to her, and he curled up beside her, his head resting on her lap. “Thanks, boy,” she said gently, rubbing his back gently and bending down to kiss his head. She opened up the messages and took a deep breath, typing out a message.

_Hey, Buck_  
I’m sorry I didn’t answer, and that your calls didn’t get returned.  
I had an episode. You’ve actually never seen one of those. I never  
had one when you were here. I basically just shut down. I don’t  
remember what happened during it, but I remember before and  
after. They’ve happened since around the time my dad died. I’m  
fine now, I promise, and Dan is staying with me for the night to  
keep an eye on me. I—I won’t tell you that I’m not worried or upset  
that you had to go on the mission. You already knew that. I’m glad  
you told me, though, and I understand why you had to go. Steve’s  
your best friend, and he needed you. I get it. I hope that everything  
goes well and you’re able to help out the team. When you get this  
and have time, tell my uncle to call me, will you? We need to talk.  
Otherwise, be safe, Bucky. Come back home safe and sound. Please.  
I’ll be here waiting when you get back. Just text me to let me know  
you’re safe. I love you. Goodnight.

The text delivered, she lay back down and listened to the sound of Dan’s soft snoring from the living room only barely audible over the low drone of the air conditioning. Riot whined slightly and nudged her hand. “I’m okay, boy,” she said to him, petting his head. “Thanks, though. Let’s get some sleep, hm?” She fell asleep not long afterwards.


	13. Chapter 13

“Dan, you didn’t have to,” Mattie groaned. He looked up from where he was folding the laundry.

“I know. I got bored,” he replied, giving a small shrug.

“I’m gonna call you on that lie right there, Dan Worthington. You’d rather die than do laundry, hence the reason Sal does it.” Dan sighed.

“Look, I wanted to help you out, okay?” he replied, glancing up at her. “You’ve had a rough few days.” Mattie sighed.

“Thanks, Dan, really. But you didn’t have to do the laundry.”

“Oh, thank God!” he exclaimed, stepping away from it. Mattie started laughing and took up his spot, though he did help her fold the towels and match socks. She kicked his shin lightly and grinned at him.

“Are the rest of the clan coming by today?” she asked.

“Nah. Jimmy’s gardening, and Ben’s got school. Sal should be by, though. He mentioned something about filing and stuff.” Mattie shook her head with a grin.

“What would I do without you boys?” she mumbled.

“Crash and burn.”

“Probably,” she conceded, kicking him again. He kicked her back, and laundry was forgotten in the scuffle that ensued, ending with both of them on the floor, Mattie pinning Dan’s legs while he squeezed her sides in unrelenting tickles while Riot ran around them, barking happily. She was squealing and laughing loudly when Sal’s figure appeared in the doorway.

“Well, I guess that means you feel better,” he said, smiling down at them. They froze, and Riot ran over to greet him. Sal bent to pet his dog while Dan and Mattie got to their feet.

“She started it,” Dan said, pointing at Mattie, and her mouth dropped open in disbelief.

“Excuse me! Was I the one that started the poking?” she shot back, giving him a look.

“You kicked me!”

“I was messing with you!”

“Twice!”

“Enough, you two,” Sal said, stepping between them. “Dan, finish the laundry, because I know you started this, and Mattie, you come help me downstairs. I need you to sign some things for me.” Dan opened his mouth to protest, but one look from his brother had him shuffling over to finish it. The two headed down the stairs, and Mattie suddenly froze. “What?” Sal asked.

“Dan, don’t you iron my shirts with beer! I will make you pay for their replacements!” A groan sounded from upstairs. “I don’t even own any! How were you planning on accomplishing that?” she yelled.

“I have my ways,” Dan shouted back, and Sal huffed a laugh before continuing down the stairs.

“So, how are you?” Sal asked once they were in the garage.

“I’m alright, Sal, really.”

“You weren’t yesterday,” he replied. “It was bad, Mattie. Really bad.”

“I’m sorry. It’s just—” She gathered her thoughts as they went into the office room. “He means a lot to me, ya know? Not that you guys don’t, but y’all are rarely in a position of any real danger. This was—this was a mission. He may not come back. And the possibility of losing him on top of my uncle—it was just too much, I think. But I’m okay right now.”

“Have you heard anything?”

“No. I did send him a reply text last night, but I haven’t gotten anything back.” Sal gave her a hug.

“I’m sure he’s okay, Matt.”

“I hope you’re right, Sal.”

\---------------------------------------------------------------------

Mattie’s phone buzzed in her pocket, and she leaned away from the forms she was filing to pull it out. She bit her lip as she saw who was calling and grabbed onto Sal’s hand as she answered it. He gave her a worried look but gripped her hand tightly. “Hello?”

“Hey, Mattie.” She gasped, tears welling in her eyes.

“You’re okay,” she breathed, and Sal sighed in relief.

“Yeah, well, okay is relative. But I’m alive. The team got us out late yesterday night, but we didn’t get finished with patching up and debriefing until this morning. Barnes told me to call you?”

“Uncle Clint, I’m sorry,” she said, letting go of Sal’s hand to step into the office. “I—I’m not mad anymore. The minute Bucky told me what was going on, I was so scared that I’d never get to see you again, and you’d think I hated you, and I couldn’t deal with that, and I’m just so glad you’re okay.”

“I never thought you hated me, Matt. I knew I was outta line. I just wanted you safe. I only knew what the files said about him. Now I actually know him, and I was wrong. You couldn’t have a better boyfriend, pumpkin.” Mattie sniffled a bit and smiled.

“Thanks, Uncle Clint. Really.”

“Sure thing. Now, of course you know I’m gonna have to give him the speech.” Mattie huffed a laugh and shook her head fondly.

“I knew it. You wouldn’t be you if you did.”

“And I want to come over or you come to the house for a few days. The kids miss you, and I know Laura would love to see you.”

“I’ll see what I can do about that.” Clint chuckled.

“Good. Now, I know you gotta work, so I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

“Okay. Be safe, and get better.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Bye, Uncle Clint. Love you.”

“Love you too, Mattie.” She hung up the phone and turned around to see Sal standing in the doorway, giving her a concerned look. She grinned at him.

“They’re okay,” she reported. “And everything’s good now. Everyone’s safe and happy.” Sal smiled back at her.

“When are they comin’ home?”

“I don’t know, but right now? I’m just glad they’re alive.”

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Cherry! Over here!” Megan called from where she, Angel, and Mattie sat in the diner booth. The redhead came over and slid into the seat next to Megan, greeting everyone with a smile.

“What up, chicas?” she greeted.

“Hey, Cherry,” Mattie replied, and Angel gave her a smile.

“So, we all know why we’re here, yes?” Megan said.

“I thought this was a set up to get Artie and Angel together?” Mattie asked.

“Mattie!” Angel exclaimed, slapping her arm. “I’m happily in a relationship, thank you.”

“I’m just teasing, Angel,” Mattie replied. “You and Landon are adorable. I would  _never_  try to break you two up.” (A/N: for those of you who know this set of references, please don't get mad. I ship her with both of them for different reasons, but in this story, it's this way. I'm sorry.)

“ _Anyway_ ,” Megan said, getting the group back on track. “We’re here to set up arrangements for Cherry, remember?”

“Well, the offer to work in the garage still stands, Cherry,” Mattie said. “As long as you want it. Sal needs all help in there he can get. The machines are winning.”

“And my dad said that you are welcome at the house with him, Colin, and Artie,” Megan said.

“Or Bart and Carlos. They offered too,” Angel reminded them.

“No offense, guys, but I’ll just stay in the van for now. I don’t want to live with a bunch of guys and be outnumbered,” Cherry said.

“Well, there’s also the Roadhouse,” Mattie said. “Eryn and Jill live in the upstairs, and they’re willing to let you sleep there too. It’s all girls there. Well, except for Al, but he won’t cause any trouble. And they’d probably let you help with their computer too.”

“I’ll think about it. Thanks, guys, really.”

“Of course,” Megan replied. “You’re our friend. We want to help you until you can get back on your feet.” Cherry smiled and ducked her head.

“What’d I do without you guys?”

“Crash and burn faster than Windows XP,” Mattie answered, and the group burst into laughter. Cherry gave Mattie a fistbump, and the group finally decided to actually order something instead of just take up booth space, enjoying each other’s company.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mattie giggled as she jumped vaulted over the back of the couch, beating Dan to the seat he was heading for. “You brat!” he yelled. She laughed even harder, sprawling all along the couch, putting her feet in Sal’s lap to cut off any hope of Dan sitting down.

“Victory is mine!” she exclaimed triumphantly. Her laughter turned into squeals as Dan pinned her legs and Sal began relentlessly tickling her feet. “No! No, Sal, stop! No! Please!” she squealed, trying to kick her feet away, but having no luck with Dan holding her down. Mattie squealed louder. “Jimmy, help me!” she begged. He gave her a smile and shook his head.

“You’re on your own. You got yourself into this mess.”

“My guardian angel has failed me!” she exclaimed, squirming around on the couch trying to get away.

“Looks like you’re on your own, princess,” Dan growled playfully, and she let out another peal of laughter as he used another one of his hands to tickle her sides.

“Stop! Stop please!” she squealed, using her hands to push Dan’s hand away. He was so distracted that his grip on her legs let up, and she kicked away, tucking them up under herself, giving Sal a betrayed look. “How could you?” she asked, gasping for breath. “I trust you, you traitor!” He gave her an innocent shrug, and she huffed. Riot came over to beg for attention, and Mattie willingly gave it to him. “You’re much nicer than your mean ol’ owners, aren’t you, Riot?” she said to the dog. “You’re my favorite now, I hope you know that. I’m stealing you.”

“We know where you live, Matt,” Sal said. “Stealing the dog won’t work.”

“No. By the time you get him back, he’ll love me more than any of you.”

“That’s not how it works, Mattie,” Jimmy piped up.

“Silence, traitor!” she said, giving him a glare. “I have nothing to say to a Benedict Arnold!” She continued to pet Riot and coo over him. “Such a good boy, aren’t you Riot? The very best.” Bones got jealous and came over to his own affection, and she gave one hand to each dog, sliding off of the couch to be surrounded by the loyal love of the dogs. Dan whooped in victory and took her seat, but she merely stuck her tongue out at him, returning to the dogs. A phone rang, and Mattie looked on the table to see if it was hers, but Sal snatched it up before she could see whose it was.

“Hello?” he answered. “No, she’s busy with her new pets.” A pause. “I mean, I can try, but she’s ignoring all of us for the dogs.” Sal laughed. “Yeah, I’ll tell her. Hang on.” Sal pulled the phone away from his face and looked at Mattie. “Hey, Matt, if you’re done ignoring us, your boyfriend is on the phone.” Mattie stood up so fast she nearly clipped Dan on the chin as he leaned over to pet Bones. She yanked her phone from Sal’s hands and gave him a look, heading outside to the deck to talk.

“Hey!” she exclaimed happily.

“Hi, doll,” Bucky answered. She could almost hear the smile in his voice. “I’m sorry I didn’t call you yesterday. I was in recovery.”

“Uncle Clint told me everyone was pretty banged up,” Mattie said. “I’m just glad all of you are okay. Are you doing good now?”

“Yeah. I heal fast, and Dr. Cho has this really cool thing that helps. I don’t exactly understand it, but it’s cool. I’m fine, Matt. I promise.” She sighed in relief.

“That’s great. I was so worried.” There was a sigh.

“I’m so sorry, doll. Clint told me about the episodes you used to have. I’m so sorry I did that to you. I didn’t mean—”

“No, Bucky, no,” she interrupted him. “It’s not your fault. Not at all. Don’t feel bad. It’s just how I react to emotional stress. I promise, it’s okay. Sal and Dan known what to do by now, and it’s okay. I’m fine.”

“But if I hadn’t—”

“If you hadn’t called me, I wouldn’t have been driven to want to make up with my uncle. I wouldn’t have even known there was a  _possibility_ that I’d never see him again. I’m glad you called me, Buck. So glad, and grateful. You don’t have to apologize at all. I’m just glad you’re safe.”

“Me too, doll. So, you’re at Sal and Dan’s house?” Mattie grinned.

“Yeah. We’re watching football. Well, Sal and Dan are. Jimmy and I are playing Go Fish.”

“What about Ben?”

“He’s at a friend’s house for the weekend. Don’t worry. Your nephew is safe.”

“What do—?”

“Ben calls you his new unofficial-uncle. Literally everybody in the garage has helped him grow up. Sal is just the only one he actually calls ‘Uncle.’ You’ve been adopted into the family.”

“Oh. Well, I’m honored,” Bucky chuckled. “He’s a good kid.”

“Yeah, he is. He’s hit a growth spurt. He’s almost as tall as me now, but if you tell him I said that, I’ll deny it.”

“Can’t wait to see him.”

“Wait, what?” Mattie sat straight up.

“I’m coming home, doll.” Mattie squeal had all three men running out of the house to check on her. She turned to them with a grin.

“What? When? How soon? When were you planning on telling me?” she asked excitedly. Bucky laughed. Sal, Dan, and Jimmy—seeing that there was no danger—returned inside with shaking heads and racing hearts.

“I was gonna tell you when I called you. I just hadn’t gotten around to it. I’ll be home at the end of the week.”

“So, what made you decide?” she asked, leaning against the porch railing. He sighed, and she could picture him running a hand through his hair.

“Honestly? The rescue mission. I’ve lived that life too long, Matt. I didn’t want to fight to begin with, but I entered the war anyway. I’ve been fighting someone else’s war for the past seventy years. Now, I’ve got a new life, one I want to choose. I want to come home. I spent every moment thinking about how much I missed you and wanted to come home, even while I was dragging Steve out of the mess he’d gotten into. I was worried about you the entire time, and I just want to come home. For good. No more fighting. Just fixing cars.” Mattie beamed, warmth spreading across her chest.

“I missed you too,” she replied. “I can’t wait until you come home.”

“Doll, is it okay if Steve and some of the others come visit from time to time?”

“Sure! Of course! Your friends are always welcome here, babe! Just give me heads up so I can buy food.” She could almost hear the relief her statement brought.

“Great. Also, I want to bring you up here sometime. Just for a bit. Show you where I grew up.”

“Okay, Buck. You pick the time, we can make it happen.”

“I love you so much, doll.”

“Love you too, hon.” After saying goodnight, Mattie walked back inside, a smile on her face. She was met with three curious looks. All she said was “he’s coming home.”


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The songs here in the chapter are: 
> 
> "Summer of 69" by Bryan Adams  
> "Uptown Girl" by Billy Joel  
> "Night Moves" by Bob Seger  
> "Walking on Sunshine" by Katrina and the Waves

“—so just sign in when you get here, and that’s it!” Mattie finished, pointing to the slots next to Cherry’s name.

“Really?” Cherry asked. “You don’t have people lie?”

“We’re a family here, Cher,” Mattie replied. “There’s no need to lie. Plus, even if you are late, there are always people here that see when you come in, so there’s no advantage.” Cherry smiled.

“Yeah, I get that. I’m just used to working in places that are uptight. I think I’ll like it here.”

“I hope so. The guys already have a soft spot for you. You’ll fit right in, I promise. Sal should be here soon so you two can start working on tech stuff that I don’t understand.” Cherry giggled.

“I’ll make sure you can understand it. Or at least do my best,” she replied.

“Don’t even try. I’m a lost cause. Sal understands it better than I ever will.” Both women burst into laughter at that, and Cherry gave Mattie a quick hug.

“By the end of this, it won’t matter if you understand it or not. You’ll be able to use it.”

“Thanks, Cherry. You’re the best.”

“I know.” Mattie went over and turned on the radio, letting the music fill the garage as she turned everything on and opened the doors. She hummed to herself along with the lyrics, a sway in her step as she began checking on the work that had to be done today. The chorus had just ramped up for the second time when she looked over to see Dan pointing at her as he sang the lyrics loud and slightly off-key. Mattie grinned, joining in the playful-serenading, though she gave him a look to sing as well as she knew he could, and he gave in, the two of them loudly singing as Sal and Ben walked in, smiles on their faces as the pair’s antics. As Colin and Artie pulled in, they joined in the amused watching of Dan and Mattie enjoying their shared taste in music. The song changed, and they didn’t even stop singing, just moved with the song as Dan went to work on one car and Mattie went to sign files that Sal handed her. She even heard Sal join in with the background singers, and she smiled at him, playfully shoving his shoulder. Colin’s foot was tapping to the beat, and Cherry was dancing in her seat as she typed away on the computer. Ben was singing too, a smile on his face. Artie was the only one not singing or dancing, but he did mouth along with the words. The radio station did a short commercial before a familiar guitar intro sounded, and Mattie and Dan sat up, eyes locking and smiles spreading across their faces. Mattie reached over and turned up the volume while Dan dropped his cloth and started singing. Mattie gave Sal a look, and he rolled his eyes in resignation. Mattie pulled him to his feet, and they started dancing in the middle of the garage, Dan and Bob Seger providing the lyrics in the background. As the chorus rang out, Sal joined in on his brother’s singing, all three voices blending together. The two weren’t really dancing, just stepping in a rotating square in time with the beat, but they were enjoying themselves. Sal let Ben step in, and the two spun around, giggling the entire time. As the song ramped up after the bridge, Dan slid into the dance, and Mattie joined him in singing, providing the background lyrics as he led her in an old step they’d learned when they were younger in school. Art class was weird that year. They danced together, amid the joyful smiles of their family and the lyrics of one of Mattie and Dan’s favorite songs. Dan shot her a smile as he spun her out, and she was grabbed in another set of arms. She assumed it was Sal or Colin, but when she looked up with a smile, she gasped in delight. The song ended, the radio going to commercial right after, and Mattie grabbed the newcomer tightly.

“You’re home,” she said into his chest, tears springing into her eyes. She felt his arms come tightly around her, and a kiss was dropped atop her head.

“I’m home, doll,” Bucky echoed, and cheers sounded from around the garage. The two broke apart, and Bucky was greeted with hugs and slaps on the back. After everyone had said their hellos, they scattered to get to work. Bucky followed Mattie over to the desk where Cherry sat, humming along to the song that was playing on the radio now.

“So, you have to meet this outstanding individual,” Mattie said, gripping his hand tightly. Cherry looked up at her voice and smiled at Bucky.

“Sup, chico?” she greeted.

“Cherry, this is Bucky. Bucky, Cherry. She’s gonna be working here now.”

“Nice to meet you, ma’am,” he said with a smile and a nod. Cherry blew out a long exhale.

“He’s a charmer, ain’t he?” she said to Mattie, who grinned.

“Yep. Quite the looker too.”

“Matt!” Bucky exclaimed, giving her a shocked look.

“What? I date you, I get to say these kinds of things.” Cherry was cracking up behind the desk, and Sal, who was listening nearby, rolled his eyes and shook his head with a fond smile. Bucky sighed and pulled her behind him, heading upstairs. “Tell my story!” she called behind her as she disappeared into the stairwell.

“You will be remembered!” Ben yelled back. Laughter erupted from the garage as Bucky kicked the door to the apartment shut behind him and pulled Mattie into the living room before turning to look at her silently. Mattie gave him a small smile.

“Buck?” Suddenly, he was right in front of her, grabbing her into a tight hug, burying his face in her neck.

“I missed you so much, doll,” he said tightly. Mattie gripped him just as tightly, feeling tears spring into her eyes.

“I missed you too, Buck. So much. I’m so glad you’re home.”

“Me too. I’m leaving again. Not without you. And certainly not for months.”

“I like the sound of that.” He pulled her onto the couch, and the two lay there late into the afternoon, just enjoying each other’s presence.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mattie shrieked, kicking her legs in vain. “Bucky! Put me down!” she squealed, hitting his back repeatedly.

“Nope.”

“Bucky!”

“No.”

“Please?”

“No.”

“Bucky, baby, please! I’m begging!”

“Not gonna happen.”

“You’re gonna drop me!”

“Not a chance. Metal arm, remember?”

“Really? I hadn’t noticed the freezing cold appendage that wakes me up in the middle of the night!”

“Hey!”

“Put me down, Bucky!”

“Nope.” Mattie sighed in resignation, propping her chin up with an elbow on his lower back as he walked through the woods.

“Why are you doing this?”

“Because I can.”

“I hate you.”

“Love you too, dragotsennyy.”

“That’s not fair! I don’t know what you’re saying!” Bucky chuckled, his shoulder shaking slightly.

“Vot v chem delo, moya lyubov',” he replied, causing Mattie to throw her hands up in defeat.

“I give up. I only know one phrase in Russian, and you aren’t using it.”

“What’s that, dragotsennyy?”

“Prosti yego. On odinok.”

“Why do you know that?”

“Uncle Clint likes petting random people’s dogs. And he asks people if he can pet them in different languages. So I have to apologize for him when I’m with him. Aunt Nat taught me how to.”

“Wait, you know Natalia?” Bucky asked as he crossed the stream between the garage and the Worthington house.

“Who? Natasha? Yeah. She’s my aunt.”

“How?”

“Well, she’s not blood. She’s Uncle Clint’s friend, and she’s at their house a lot. So I grew up calling her Aunt Nat. You know her?”

“Yeah. From my past. Before I met you.”

“Oh, okay. Cool! Was she happy to see you?”

“Sort of. We didn’t part on the best of terms. But we worked past it.”

“Well, that’s good.” By this point, they’d reached the back door of the Worthington’s. Bucky reached out and opened the door, kicking off his shoes and pulling Mattie’s shoes off without putting her down. “Dan! We’re here!” Mattie yelled. “Save me from my fate, please!” Dan came downstairs and immediately doubled over in laughter.

“How did—?”

“It doesn’t matter! Just get him to put me down!”

“I’d like to see him try,” Bucky said playfully.

“Bucky! Please! I’m getting a bruise from your collarbone!” That got her down on her feet as Bucky pulled up her shirt to check her side for bruising. It was definitely red from where his bone had been digging into her.

“I’m so sorry, doll. I didn’t mean to—”

“Bucky, it’s okay. I promise. I’m fine. It was just hurting.”

“Do you want something for that?” Sal asked, walking in from the living room.

“I’m fine, Sal,” Mattie protested.

“Yes,” Bucky answered, and Sal nodded, heading upstairs.

“Bucky, I’m fine.”

“Better safe than sorry, sweetheart.” Mattie sighed.

“You’re hopeless.”

“Yet you love me.” Dan chuckled and slid past them to get something to drink from the kitchen. Ben came downstairs after Sal, and Jimmy appeared from the front door, presumably from getting the mail. Bones and Riot were with him. Bucky gently rubbed some of the lotion that Sal had given him into the red mark on Mattie’s torso, and Mattie gave Ben an overly-patient look. The teen chuckled, giving her a pitying look. Once Bucky was satisfied, Mattie looked around.

“So, now that we’re all here, we ready for this marathon?” she asked.

“Yes!” Ben exclaimed, and she was pulled into the living room by the excited boy. There was a marathon of Star Wars and Indiana Jones going on today, and the group was going to make a day of. Ben was excited, as he loved the two series. Mattie had insisted that Bucky watch them with them since he hadn’t seen them and they were going to remedy that as soon as possible. As the group settled into their chosen seats, Mattie tucked into Bucky’s side, she thought about how happy she was to have her family. Ben would be turning sixteen in two months, and he was very excited about it, because Mattie and Dan had been helping him repair an old car that had been out behind the garage since he first arrived. Mattie was going to let him drive it once they got it in working condition. He’d been using his pay to buy it from her since he decided he wanted it. Bucky had been home for ten months, and she couldn’t remember being happier. They’d taken a week-long trip up to New York for her to see the places he’d grown up and meet the rest of her uncle’s “coworkers” as well as see Steve and Sam again. Both men had been ecstatic to see the pair again, and she had been welcomed with open-arms. Natasha hadn’t been there; she’d been out on a mission with a team, so Mattie and Bucky hadn’t seen her, hence the conversation they’d had on the way to the Worthington house. The two had also gone to Clint’s farm to see the rest of the family, which included his wife Laura, and their three kids, Conner, Maria, and Nathaniel. The kids loved Bucky immediately and tried to climb him like a personal jungle gym, though he didn’t seem to mind. Clint and Bucky got along swimmingly, and Laura adored him. She’d sent them home with enough food to feed a small army; in other words, it’d fed Bucky for two days. Now, they were home, surrounded by her brothers and dearest friend, along with the best nephew anyone could ever ask for, and she had her loving Bucky home safe and sound at her side. As the first Star Wars movie came on (or the fourth, depending on who you asked), Mattie snuggled closer into Bucky side, sighing happily. He leaned down and kissed her temple gently

“What’s wrong?” he whispered.

“Nothing at all,” she replied, smiling up at him. “I couldn’t be happier.” He hummed lightly, smiling back down at her before looking back to the screen as Sal sat down on her other side with a tray of drinks and snacks in his hands that he placed on the coffee table. Mattie tucked her feet up underneath the couch cushions and settled in to watch the movie, a smile on her face.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mattie curled into a corner of the couch, smiling at the screen of her laptop. “I think it’s a great idea, Steve!” she said. “What can I do to help?”

“If you can get the place and food down, I’ll handle everything else.”

“Sure! There’s a pavilion in the town park that’d be the perfect place! There’s a lake right next to it. How’s that sound?”

“Perfect! I’ll leave that to you, then?”

“Sure thing! Call me if you need anything else from me.”

“Of course! Thanks, Mattie. It’ll mean a lot to him.”

“You’re my friend, Steve. All you have to do is ask, you know that.”

“Yeah, but still, thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Talk to you later, Steve. I have to get back to work.”

“Okay. Bye, Matt.”

“Bye, Stevie.” She ended the call and closed the laptop. As she stood up, Bucky walked up the stairs.

“You coming back down?” he asked, giving her a smile.

“Yeah, just a second.”

“What were you doing up here?” Bucky asked, grabbing her in a hug. “You disappeared.” She looked up at him with a smile.

“Taking some me time,” she said. “I’m allowed to do that, Buckaroo.” She pulled away and started to head down the stairs.

“What did you just call me?” he called. She giggled to herself, hooting in victory.

“One year and I finally came up with a nickname!” she yelled in victory, running down the stairs.

“What?” Dan called back, poking his head out from under a car.

“I got a nickname for Bucky!” Mattie exclaimed, ducking behind Sal for protection as Bucky came down the stairs.

“Isn’t Bucky already a nickname?” Cherry asked.

“Yeah, but he’s got all these nicknames for me, and I’ve had none for him.”

“Take it back, Mattie,” Bucky said lowly, a playful glint in his eye. She shook her head, giggling.

“What is it, Matt?” Ben asked.

“Don’t you tell—”

“Buckaroo.” Instantly, the garage erupted into laughter, and Bucky grabbed Mattie, swinging her up over his shoulder.

“You’re gonna pay for that, Matilda Gordon,” Bucky said, and Mattie giggled.

“So worth it.”

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Where are you taking me?” Bucky asked.

“You’ll see.”

“Mattie, we have to get back to the garage.”

“Dan can handle things in there, Buck. Don’t worry about them.”

“But we told them we’d be back soon,” Bucky protested.

“Bucky, my darling, my love, I promise, they’ll be fine. Now, relax, will you?” Mattie reached over and squeezed his hand gently. Bucky sighed.

“Sorry, Matt, I just worry.”

“But there’s no need to, Buckaroo. Dan can run that place better than I can! Don’t worry at all. He’ll keep everything running just fine.” She pulled into the parking lot and shut off the car, grabbing her jacket from the backseat and putting it on before hopping out. “C’mon, slowpoke!” she called, closing the door and setting off down the trail.

“You’re dodging work to take me to the park?” Bucky asked, coming to walk beside her.

“Yes, yes I am. You’re welcome to go sit in the car and wait for me, if you really don’t want to join me on this lovely excursion.” Bucky sighed, grabbing her hand and walking along.

“You talked me into it. But was is the point of the outdoor excursion, dragotsennyy?”

“Just felt like it. Besides, we haven’t had time to just enjoy each other’s company lately.” Bucky pulled her to his side and kissed the top of her head.

“I know. But Ben wanted me to go hunting with him, and you know I can’t say no to that kid.”

“‘That kid’ is fifteen years old, Buck. You didn’t  _want_  to say no to him.”

“Hush.” Mattie giggled and walked further into the forest. “I hope you know where you’re going, Matt.”

“I grew up here, Buck. I know where I’m going. Now hush and enjoy nature.” The two walked along in companionable silence and eventually rounded a turn that led to the lake shore, complete with small pavilion and picnic tables. There were people there, and Mattie raised a hand in greeting.

“Hey, look who it is!” a voice called, and Bucky stopped walking.

“No,” he said. “No. You didn’t.”

“Of course I did,” Mattie said, and she pulled him towards the group of people in the pavilion.

“Hey, Buck!” Steve greeted, pulling his friend into a hug.

“Hey, Stevie,” Bucky replied, and similar greetings were exchanged with the rest of the group, which composed of the garage crew, Megan, Steve, Sam, Clint and his family, and Natasha. “What’s all this for?”

“Surely you didn’t forget what today is?” Megan asked, gasping slightly.

“What?”

“Happy birthday!” the group yelled, and Bucky actually yelped, jumping back a few feet. Everyone laughed, and Mattie grabbed his arm, pulling him forwards.

“Guys, you didn’t have to,” he protested.

“Of course we did!” Steve exclaimed, pulling his best friend into a hug. Bucky was whisked away to greet everyone, and Mattie went over to help Megan uncover all of the food that Dan was going to grill on the portable grill he’d brought with him. He’d called dibs on that job weeks ago. Ben turned on the radio they had with them to play music, and everyone split up. Some went out onto the lake in the canoes. Others stayed near the shore to fish. Sal and Cherry were talking about the book series they were reading, and Megan went over to join them. Mattie and the Barton children were playing with Bones and Riot, and Bucky and Steve were racing Sam around the lake, and lapping him as they did it. Bart joined the footrace, also passing Sam a few times, and all in all, everyone was having a great time. Mattie went over to check on Dan’s progress, her face flushed with the chilly wind and exertion.

“How’s it goin’ over here, grill master?” she asked, hip checking him as she stood next to him. He stumbled only slightly and hit her back.

“Burgers are almost done. You can yell for them in a sec.”

“Great! You need some water? Anything?”

“Nah, I’m good. Jimmy brought me some earlier.”

“Good. Holler if you need anything. I’m gonna stick around over here for now.” She sat down next to Carlos and Colin, joining in on their conversation about the pros and cons of actually having a time machine. They had just gotten into time rifts when Dan yelled Mattie’s name.

“Hey, Matt! Food’s done!”

“Okay!” She went over to the edge of the pavilion. “Hey, guys! Burgers are done!” Instantly, there was a stampede of feet, and everyone had their food in twenty minutes. Some (in Dan and Bart’s case) were already on seconds. Laughter and conversation filled the air, and even though there was no other noise around for miles, sometime people had to yell to be heard over the commotion. Mattie exchanged looks with Megan and Steve, who gave her subtle nods, and she went over with Megan to light the candles on the cake. Bucky blushed a deep crimson as everyone sang Happy Birthday to him, and the cheers when the cake (which for the sake of the joke had one hundred candles on it and was honestly a fire hazard) was served were near-deafening. Presents were opened, and thanks were given, before Mattie and Bucky were shooed away at the end of the day.

“We’ll handle this,” Megan said. “Go on. Have fun! Do something interesting!”

“Better listen to her,” Artie said. “She’s got a back-up plan if you don’t go.” That was enough to get both of them running for the hills. Megan was notorious for good pranks of any kind, and everyone knew not to provoke her. The two went back to the garage and headed upstairs, choosing to watch a movie on the couch while munching on popcorn. Somewhere in the middle of the second movie, Mattie fell asleep, and Bucky didn’t have the heart to move her.

“Goodnight, Matt,” he whispered, kissing the top of her head gently. “Thank you for today. I love it. And I love you more than anything in the world. Thank you for giving me a new life. You fixed me, Mattie Gordon. You don’t just fix cars. You fixed my heart.”


End file.
